{"id":77076,"date":"2025-08-18T09:24:04","date_gmt":"2025-08-18T09:24:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/77076\/"},"modified":"2025-08-18T09:24:04","modified_gmt":"2025-08-18T09:24:04","slug":"revealed-deputy-prime-minister-richard-marles-son-competes-in-one-of-the-most-dangerous-sports-on-the-planet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/77076\/","title":{"rendered":"Revealed: Deputy prime minister Richard Marles’ son competes in one of the most dangerous sports on the planet"},"content":{"rendered":"

MMA fighter Sam Marles is the son of\u00a0Deputy PM Richard MarlesOn the night of Labor’s election victory, Sam scored his own KO<\/p>\n

By SHAYNE BUGDEN, SPORTS EDITOR, AUSTRALIA<\/a> <\/p>\n

Published: 09:02 BST, 18 August 2025 | Updated: 09:02 BST, 18 August 2025 <\/p>\n

As Deputy PM\u00a0Richard Marles battled for last-minute votes on the day of the federal election, his son, Sam, was involved in a fight of his own – of the mixed martial arts variety.<\/p>\n

On this occasion, the 28-year-old professional welterweight delivered a spectacular knockout victory against a highly-fancied opponent at a domestic MMA event in Logan City.<\/p>\n

Sam, who’s always loved sports, says his dad wasn’t exactly sure about his decision to become an MMA fighter.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘When I made the transition to mixed martial arts, he was a bit concerned,’ he told The Sydney Morning Herald.<\/a><\/p>\n

‘I sat both my parents down and said, “I’m going to pursue this”. At first, they didn’t really understand it. They maybe didn’t believe this was really a potential career path.<\/p>\n

‘They looked at me like I was crazy. But, over time, they started to get on board and actually became quite supportive. I think they can see it’s been a positive influence on my life.<\/p>\n

\"Aussie <\/p>\n

Aussie MMA fighter Sam Marles is the son of Deputy PM Richard Marles (pictured together)<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The 28-year-old welterweight says his parents didn’t really understand his decision to be an MMA fighter<\/p>\n

The MMA fighter says sitting at a desk job like his parents was something he was never very good at, and finding MMA was a dream come true.<\/p>\n

‘I like the description of mixed martial arts as high-level problem-solving with dire consequences. It’s a very free form of combat sport. Boxing, jiu-jitsu, wrestling, kickboxing: it combines everything,’ he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘I love it, and I really like the people I’m around in the gym. ‘<\/p>\n

On election night, Sam reached out to his dad to congratulate him on Labor’s landslide win and tell him about his own victory.<\/p>\n

‘I called him straight away, but he must have been busy doing interviews,’ he said.<\/p>\n

‘I went off and hung out with some people, then when I got back to the hotel room, I had about six missed calls from him. When we finally spoke on the phone, it was a pretty special moment.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘I don’t cry too often \u2013 he’s more of a cryer \u2013 but there were definitely a few tears shed during that call. It felt like everything had come together, and everything made sense.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Deputy PM, who was at St Albans Football Club on the night, had organised an area to watch a broadcast of the bout.<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The MMA fighter says he had a special moment on the phone with his dad on election night<\/p>\n

‘We’d arranged that there was an area I could go to, in a corner, to watch Sam’s fight. This was, unquestionably, the biggest fight of his career.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘He went in as the underdog and I was feeling nervous for him. I knew how hard he’d worked, and what winning the fight would mean to him.<\/p>\n

‘Halfway through the final round, I’m thinking this thing is really in the balance.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘Then Sam knocks the other guy down. I’m absolutely yelling and screaming at the screen, ‘YOU BEAUTY!”<\/p>\n

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