April 18^th D Day – “The Beginning”

A near capacity crowd at the HMV Kentish Town Forum witnessed its first ever night of MMA in Central London.  News of Volcanic disruptions had filtered through on Saturday but as the first fighters made their way to the cage, the crowd erupted and didn’t lay dormant until the very end of the very last fight.  Here’s what happened… (more…)

This ain’t just a headline – it’s fact.  We’re 24 hours away from “The Beginning” and two of our fighters are stuck in the Republic of Ireland due to the Volcanic cloud hovering over Blighty.

But as the saying goes…”the show must go on”.  Matt Wise, in fighting fit form will square up to Clinic Middle Weight Champion Dan Hine, who is stepping up with just 24 hours (more…)

5 days to go until ‘The Beginning’.

So here we are – fight night a matter of days away and somehow the gym feels different.  It’s enveloped in a different sort of energy…nervous, excited energy that’s about to pop and hopefully that will happen right on cue this Sunday.

Paul had little to say to me last night (Monday 12^th), for the time being his work here is done.  (more…)

11 days to go until “The Beginning”

I looked.  I really did but there was little love in the cage on Wednesday night (7^th April).

Although little talking, it was a noisy session…the sounds of regulated breathing, the sounds of bodies sprawling on the mat, running on the spot, letting out groans of pain, the sounds of exhaustion.  And all the while abuse from the man they all respect…the coach. (more…)

18 days to go until “The Beginning”.

A good coach will take care of his fighters – it’s not just about training them to physical and technical perfection – it’s a about taking proper care of them too. According to Paul, “This close to a fight it all starts to get psychological, my aim is to keep the guys calm and their head’s clear”. This means helping ensure they don’t (more…)