Novice MMA Fighters trained for victory at Skegby Gym
Five novice MMA fighters from Skegby’s Revolution gym made their amateur debuts on the club’s final home show of the year.
Jack Harris, Bradley George, Connor Severn, Kai Parker and Malaki Parnham all completed six weeks intensive training as preparation for their contests.
For Brad, 19, this was his first experience of combat sports. “My brother was my coach, and this helped me keep motivated and realise that I needed to learn all the movements quite quickly. I enjoyed the bout and I’ve carried on with the training with a view to competing again.”
“I’d been doing some MMA for about a year,” said Jack, 22, “and the training we had was unbelievably good. My bout lasted less than a minute. If anything, it was more the coaching that I enjoyed with the fantastic atmosphere in the gym as we could tell that everyone was making progress. We also want to thank Sean Parker for the massage sessions which made us fitter and more flexible in our bouts.”
Project manager Kai Parker, 21, also emphasised how valuable the training was. “The training was great for losing weight and getting into the best physical shape ever. Everything about this including the fight day and all that went with an outstanding experience. I’d recommend to anyone give it a go.”
Apprentice plasterer Connor Severn used the novice experience as preparation for his fight on Barnsley’s BMF show held quite shortly after and which he won in by stoppage with what he describes as “brutal ground and pound on a more experienced opponent which came from the confidence I’d got in the novice competition. This meant that I knew what to expect at BMF. I’ve loved my two bouts. I’m determined to carry on and make a success of MMA. It’s just the most exhilarating sport.”
Student Malaki Parnham, 18, was delighted to get the home show win by split decision. “Performing in the cage was electrifying. I had some previous combat sports experience and am proud I’ve added MMA to my skills. A lot of it is a mind game and we were well prepared mentally as well as physically for the challenge.”
Head coach at Revolution Neil Huntley commended the novice fighters. “All showed courage and determination in their bouts, but what brought success was that they’d been totally committed to their training turning up to every session and paying close attention to instruction. I want to thank everyone at Revolution for making this novice MMA programme a success.”
Potential recruits for the next novice MMA course at Revolution likely in the spring should contact the club on 07538 379397 or via Instagram @revolution_gym_.