Cage Warriors 171: Falkirk MMA star Keir Harvie heads into bantamweight bout in the 'perfect place'

Held in Glasgow’s Braehead Arena this Saturday night, Cage Warriors’ events are Europe’s leading MMA fights, and they have been the career kickstarter for the likes of Conor McGregor in the past.

And for home star Harvie, Cage Warriors 171 marks a return to the top table for the former Bellator and Extreme Fighting Championship ace, who admits he has come on leaps and bounds over the past 12 months or so.

He told the Falkirk Herald ahead of the big bout: “It has been building up for a while now.

"The sessions have been difficult and I have been pushing myself as much I can.

"I’ve been going full body and full tilt really to make sure I am at my best. I’ve been doing a fair bit of strength and conditioning work.

"But for me it will be worth it on the night, the preparation will all be worth it.

At this point in my career, there is no one you can leave unturned now. You can’t cut corners of take a night off.

"To get to where I want to be, which is the top, you have to be ruthless and really make sure you are in the best place you can be.

“I’m 25-years-old and I just became a father back in December last year. It is tough and the commitment is heavy.

"I got away with a fair bit in my younger years, I would cut corners and I would still train hard but I would do just enough.

“If I thought that I could do maybe 85 or 90 per cent and still get the win, then I would do that.

"And even if I lost, I would negate that just shrug it off. But you realise just how much you put into the sport.

“I’m taking away time to train that I could be spending with my family. That is the motivation to do well.

"I am wanting to make the best of this opportunity because it doesn’t come to many.

"I revaluated my life and realised that if I am putting my time and effort into this, then I needed to make it well worth it.”

Harvie, who last was in pro-action against Martin Fouda at Caestus last year, winning that bout via a head-kick KO, is relishing the chance to be on the main card at Cage Warriors 171.

He’ll face Modesto as part of a a bumper 19-fight lineup, with Scottish lightweight veteran Chris Bungard set to take on Italy’s Dumitru Girlean as the bill topper.

Fellow compatriot Reece McEwan also returns to action against England’s Cameron Else in what is set to be a barnstorming night.

"There was rumblings of a Scottish show and luckily it came along just as I signed for Cage Warriors last year,” Harvie said.

“The event was announced and the timeline worked out perfectly for me.

“I can’t complain and to be honest I have been so lucky.

“Cage Warriors wanted me when I was a inactive and they made a big thing about coming to get me.

“I feel like I have that really strong backing. I don’t feel like a number.

"I’m at the perfect place in my career at the moment heading into this fight.”

On his opponent Modesto, who carries a six win/four loss record coming into the fight, Harvie revealed that he had a choice of who to face.

He added: “I had options for an opponent and I wanted to make sure it was someone who would really challenge me.

"If I do my best on the night, that will be enough because I know that I can beat him.

"Style-wise it works out nicely too and it is a fight that I think will help me improve.”

Harvie now trains out of Higher Level in Bathgate having previously been at Headhunters and although he recently made the call to move gyms, he says that representing Falkirk this weekend will be a real honour.

The MMA ace reckons that the sport’s popularity in the local area and afar is continuing to grow exponentially.

"Scotland is fixated on football, that’s for sure,” Harvie said. “But people are really getting into MMA here.

"We are catching up to other countries like Ireland now and this Cage Warriors event in Glasgow shows that.

"You are seeing different places pop up in Falkirk and nearby now and there is a real growth happening.

"Cage Warriors hasn’t been to Scotland since 2013, the times are changing.

"I am buzzing to be representing my family and Falkirk this Saturday.

"So many MMA stars have made their name here, Cage Warriors have a great relationship with the likes of UFC – look at Conor McGregor.

"He took this route and you can see the progression pathway.”