Wavertree based combat gym, Team Kaobon, have offered their facilities in order to provide budding fighters with a place to train for an upcoming charity event in the city.
The fight night, set up by Ultra MMA, is set to take place at the end of July and will be held at the 2000 seater Olympia venue in Liverpool.
Team Kaobon is the home of numerous professional fighters including UFC stars Darren Till and Terry Etim as well as recently retired UFC fighter and scouser Paul Kelly.
Josh Harrison, 19, is one of 40 men set to step into the octagon at the fundraising event that will see all proceeds donated to Cancer Research UK.
The Litherland local told MerseySportLive why raising money for the charity means a lot to him:
“Cancer Research is very close to my heart.
“I have lost friends and family to this awful disease.
“I felt like I could help to raise a bit of money for more research and to help those suffering right now.”
The event was initially set to take place last year, but the coronavirus pandemic forced a re-schedule.
A new date of July 17th has been set, meaning that spectators may be able to attend if the nation’s route out of lockdown goes to plan.
The thought of fighting in an empty venue is something the supermarket worker doesn’t even want to consider.
“A fight without spectators wouldn’t be the same, especially when it is my first ever fight.
“I hope my family and friends will be there to witness the event considering all the hard work I have put in with healthy eating and staying in shape.”
By the time the event comes around, Harrison will have benefitted from eight weeks free training from Chris Stringer and Ali Maclean, both professional MMA fighters.
“To be trained by Chris Stringer is a pleasure and he makes sure he gets the best out of you.
“He makes sure you keep going and don’t quit.
“It is also quite inspiring to see pro fighters give up their free time to coach 40 lads for a fight when some of us have never trained in the sport before.
“If you’re struggling, they stand by you until you understand what to do.
“Chris and Ali are beasts.”
He also explained how his participation in the event came about and expressed his excitement at stepping into the octagon.
“I actually signed up for the event for a laugh on a night out.
“I received an email asking if I was serious about competing and that was when I realised that it was something I actually wanted to do.
“I’ve trained hard and I can’t wait for what will be a great night.
“A special thanks goes to Team Kaobon for providing us with their facilities.”
To donate money towards the event, the link to Josh’s GoFundMe page is: www.justgiving.com/JoshHarrison18
To find out more about the event and to register your interest in future fundraisers, visit: https://www.ultra-mma.co.uk/sign-up/
Featured image courtesy of Josh Harrison.
