FERMANAGH MMA fighter John Collins has said that getting involved in the sport has made \u201ca massive impact and difference\u201d in his life, as his career continues to go from strength to strength.<\/p>\n
The 24-year-old from Enniskillen has quickly made his mark on the MMA scene, impressing in his bouts to date.<\/p>\n
Long-term love<\/p>\n
His recent 25-second knockout victory at a Clan Wars MMA event further highlighted his growing reputation inside the cage.<\/p>\n
Collins revealed he has long had an interest in mixed martial arts and is determined to continue progressing in the sport.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve watched MMA since I was young and I knew there were lads at Erne Wrestling who competed, so I went down to give it a go and I haven\u2019t looked back since,\u201d Collins told the \u2018Herald.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m quite a late bloomer at 24, as most fighters start much younger, but I feel I\u2019ve adapted well and I\u2019m pleased with how things are going.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going to keep the momentum going and see where it takes me \u2013\u00a0who knows what could come of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Collins also credits his lifelong friend, rising professional boxer Rhys Owens, as a major source of inspiration.<\/p>\n
Owens recently secured his third professional victory, continuing his own impressive run in the ring.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re great mates, and it\u2019s brilliant to see someone local doing so well and showing no signs of slowing down,\u201d Collins said.<\/p>\n
\u201cRhys is definitely inspiring. Having someone like that around sets a high standard and gives you that extra drive to keep pushing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Committed to the sport<\/p>\n
Competing as a super lightweight, Collins has already demonstrated considerable talent inside the octagon. However, he is fully aware of the dedication required to reach the top level.<\/p>\n
\u201cI aim for two or three strength and conditioning sessions a week, along with two MMA sparring sessions and two striking sessions,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause we\u2019re based at a wrestling club, there are classes every evening, including freestyle wrestling and sessions tailored for MMA fighters.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe also have an open mat on a Sunday, which brings in people from different backgrounds \u2013\u00a0it\u2019s great for experiencing different styles.\u201d<\/p>\n
Balancing training with a busy work schedule can be challenging, but Collins says a strong support network helps him stay on track.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt can be difficult to juggle everything, but with a good group of lads around me, there\u2019s always time to put the work in \u2013 whether that\u2019s early during the week or late nights at the weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ambitious<\/p>\n
Alongside training, Collins emphasised the importance of nutrition and recovery in such a demanding sport.<\/p>\n
\u201cNutrition is massive. You need plenty of fuel to get through these tough sessions, sometimes more than two in a day,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a very demanding sport that requires a lot of energy, and rest and recovery are just as important \u2013 you have to listen to your body.\u201d<\/p>\n
With a bright future ahead in MMA, Collins is encouraging other young people in Fermanagh to consider getting involved.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s made a massive difference in my life, and I\u2019m sure it could do the same for others,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"FERMANAGH MMA fighter John Collins has said that getting involved in the sport has made \u201ca massive impact…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":580670,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[570],"tags":[64,63,802,284596,284597,786,538,10280,785,588,85],"class_list":["post-580669","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mma","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-boxing","tag-enniskillen","tag-fermanagh","tag-fighting","tag-fitness","tag-mixed-martial-arts","tag-mma","tag-sport","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/580669","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=580669"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/580669\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/580670"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=580669"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=580669"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=580669"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}