Looks like this is working-out
One month into his training, he was told to only put on his headgear. For the next six minutes he had to spar with a new fighter every minute, and they did not hold back. This is what they call the; ‘Shark Tank’ moment, one of his most memorable. Naturally he was really beat up; but the point of the exercise was to show him: what he was made of, how much you can handle, and a lesson in perseverance.
Christopher Nicholson is an amateur cross-over fighter with an affinity for Muay Thai. He competes in both K1 and Muay Thai, and has been training in several different forms of martial arts for the past year and a half.
Christopher looks quite content; wearing his jogging trousers as he is off to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu after our interview. You can tell the difference in our relationships with health and fitness; he orders a sandwich with brown bread, and I slice of pie with cream- don’t skimp on the cream.
89% of Irish men will be overweight by 2030, and nearly half obese
So how does one go from doing little to no exercise to becoming a cross-over fighter in only a year and a half? I mean if that is possible, then who knows, maybe I could even stop ordering cream with my pies.
According to a 2015 study by the World Health Organisation, 89% of Irish men will be overweight by 2030, and nearly half obese. The WHO also states that worldwide obesity has more than doubled since 1980.
With numbers like these it should be of no surprise that people are looking for new ways to stay fit. A 2014 study by the consumer analytic firm Mintel, revealed that 1/3 of Britons wish to be more active, and 25% of those polled are interested in trying alternative sports.
Enter Mixed Martial Arts. MMA has blown up in the past five years, this can be seen in increase in the number of gyms and the major success of beloved Dublin-based professional MMA featherweight division fighter Conor McGregor. It has been said that every time McGregor has a fight, the MMA gyms are full the next week.
Chris says he was first interested in taking part in mixed martial arts classes as a way to get fit, learn self-defence and build his confidence. He already knew a few people who were doing it, but was not pressed to join in until meeting Pro MMA fighter and Man of War & Battlezone Middleweight Champion John Sheil in work. John asked him if he wanted to come in and train. The rest is history.
Although Chris was offered the opportunity to train for competition at first, he said he was uninterested. But after a few weeks of consistent training; seeing the rest of the fighters train not just for the sake of training, but to compete, made him want to be a part of it as well. He says he wanted to have something to work towards. He thinks that most people who train, will eventually want to compete.
MMA has been called the fastest growing sport in the world, its spike in worldwide popularity can be attested to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The UFC was established in 1993 and broke into the mainstream market in 2011. Although it is not the only MMA fighting event, it is the premiere organisation. It is the largest pay-per-view entertainment provider in the world and has been translated in 28 languages and broadcast in 145 countries.
At 26 years old, Chris is late to the game, the more popular it becomes the younger fighters begin training at. He has been doing Muay Thai and MMA for 6 months, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for about a year on and off.
On the average day he will take part in sparring, drills, learning combination. Muay Thai is not as popular here yet. But its status is growing alongside MMA. Although it is less-known, it has many amateur fighters, and many Irish Muay Thai fighters fight internationally.
After a few months of training Chris had his first fight. He lost out of nerves, but surprised himself with how well he performed, and he learned a lot from his fight. Although the crowd was loud, he could only hear his coaches and was delighted to see how proud they were of him when the fight was over. Cut-to his last fight which took place in his home town.
This was his first time as ‘homeboy’. Having the majority of the crowd supporting you makes a difference. In his last fight, he could hear the crowd. Chris has won all of his fights since his first. When you fight under a coach or a gym, you not only fight for your reputation but for theirs as well.
“Some of the greatest moments in my life come from mixed martial arts”
Chris recommends that everyone should try MMA. Some of the “greatest moments in my life come from mixed martial arts”. One of which is after his first fight: the timing of the matches was very close together, so his coaches were not there in the changing rooms after he won his. Next thing he knew, Aaron Browne (who is the first Irishman to hold the World League of Fighters Belt and was Irish cage champion) complimented him on his win, gave him some advice and helped him take-off his shin-guards.
Chris loves the idea of being able to travel and compete in different places. The comradery between them all is palpable. There is respect between the professionals and amateurs; in fighting you see people from all walks of life, coming together and taking part in something they love and have a lot of respect for.
Chris says he has learned respect and discipline. His most notable benefits are physical well-being, mental well-being (boosts his confidence) and meeting lifelong friends.
He fights for the Forge Gym Muay Thai. He plans to keep competing in both K1 and Muay Thai. And has an upcoming match in February.
