Author: Mary

York’s Alex Bramwell tries MMA in charity fight day

YORK’S Alex Bramwell had always admired MMA fighters who ‘have the courage to give it their all in the cage’, and decided that he wouldn’t let anything stand in the way of experiencing his own bout. “I found out about Ultra MMA which arranges training and then puts on a show where each novice fights a fellow novice from their training group” explained Alex, 28, who attended Manor School and York College and who now works for online music retailer Gear4Music.

“There’s no charge, but you must sell ten tickets for the show and fundraise for a charity of your choice.

I enjoyed every step of the process including the gruelling training as the coaches pushed us relentlessly to achieve.

“The atmosphere at the show was exciting and the bouts exhilarating and enthralling.

“I had a tough fight with a physically well-built and fit Leeds lad Luke Woodend who’s become a friend.

“How could he not when we’d punched each other hard in the face?

“I was delighted to win but Luke certainly gave me a beating. It was phenomenal.

Novice MMA fighters are champions for good causes.

Two university students from Rochdale have grappled with mixed martial arts to help causes close to their hearts.

Joe Lewis, 20, and Jayden Hughes, 19, signed up for eight weeks of MMA training before getting into the cage for fundraising fights organised by Ultra MMA.

“This was my second appearance on Ultra,” said Leeds Beckett music production student Joe, who also has a part-time job at newly promoted Rochdale AFC.

“I’d never been involved in any combat sports prior to signing up to Ultra last year for an exciting challenge. I wanted to step out of my comfort zone as well as make some new friends in Leeds. The training and participation greatly benefitted my mental health, so I committed to train for a second fight.”

“We trained at Bad Company, an MMA gym that’s well respected throughout the North. Training was gruelling in its intensity but satisfying. I left each session feeling like a better man.

Meet the St Helens mum turned MMA fighter that raised over £10k for charity

A St Helens carer and mum-of-five has stepped into the mixed martial arts cage to raise £10,000 for several charities close to her heart.

The efforts of Tarita Gore, 50, have now been recognised after she received the award for being the ‘Most Inspiring Participant in 2025’ by Ultra Events – ahead of 18,000 other competitors. Having previously participated in white collar boxing matches with Ultra Events, Tarita this time decided to take part in one of Ultra’s mixed martial arts contests.

Mixed martial arts (MMA) is the fastest-growing combat sport on the planet, and differs from boxing insofar as it takes place in a ‘cage’ or octagon, and participants are also allowed to use their legs and do ‘holds’ on opponents. It mixes elements from different martial arts such as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, wrestling, and boxing.

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