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.