Issue 049

May 2009

Write to us, including your contact details, by post to 200 Portland Road, Shieldfield, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE2 1DJ or email us at [email protected]

LETTER OF THE MONTH

Ode to the fighters

I was engaged in a conversation the other day with a man who had been informed that I competed in MMA and Thai boxing. He is a doctor and he was totally disgusted that I was so passionate about training and competition (I have still to go pro, but have fought amateur, semi pro MMA, and C-class Muay Thai). As we were talking he wanted to try and understand what would motivate a human to want to hurt another human with violence. We debated for a while and I put across my argument in an intellectual way, which surprised him a little.  

I asked him what his passions in life were and he replied ‘reading novels and poetry’. You should have seen the look on his face when I offered my opinion on some of the popular writers of our time, but the best bit was when I told him that I was a keen amateur poet who has had work published in the Times newspaper, the Guards Journal, and had many anthologies published in Britain.  

Just because we train to fight in competition has nothing to do with our intellect, nor does it give someone the right to stereotype us as thugs. Please find attached a poem I have written about the art of fighting. I hope you have the space to add it to your letter section. Good job on an excellent magazine also.  

Davie McConnachie, Glasgow, via email

Davie, we’d love to publish your poem here but it’s a little too long. If anyone wants to check out the poem in full, check out the Fighters Only blog for the full version. 

Survival of the fittest?

Hi Guys,

Issue 47 was great, and there were a couple of things I feel compelled to write to you about. The features as usual are great, ‘12 Things You Love’ was fantastic. However it was Hywel’s editorial ‘Survival of the Fittest’ that really hit home to me. The reason I am writing in is that Hywel’s article illustrated the different ways people approach their MMA training and there’s many reasons behind this. There are people at my gym who have been there for a few months and are already having fights. I have been there over a year and haven’t had one. I don’t take a knock to my ego or resent them for it because they are able to put the time in and that is their goal. I am a hobbyist, able to get to maybe two classes a week, or sometimes not at all due to work and other life commitments.  

When explaining to people why I train if I’ve no intention to compete I tell them I see the opportunity to train at the gym as my version of a five-a-side. Football isn’t my sport, fighting is, and this brings me closer to it. I have the real privilege of training with people like Rod Moore, Colin Robinson, Jonny Sheils and Michael Redmond. The people I train with are a sound group of lads of all ages and all with different approaches to the sport, but we all train because we enjoy it. And you never know, I could change my mind in the future – at least I’ll have some training behind me.  

Keep up the great work.  

Allyn, via email

Age limits?

I’ve been training in different martial arts for my whole life, and been into MMA for the last five years, mainly the UFC, Vale Tudo, and local Cage Gladiators events, and obviously as it is a contact sport. There are rules and restrictions, mainly the one I’m concerned about is the fact that you have to be 18 to fight. Do you think that this age could ever change? Or there could be different events for younger people, as I feel, as a 16-year-old, we should be allowed to fight, even if it meant that we had restrictions, such as no elbows, or were given extra protection, such as head guards. Thanks.  

Nicholas Morrissey, Manchester

More global news

I think that this is the best MMA mag out there, but sometimes I wish there was just a little more information on other global MMA news. It seems that FO has lots of UFC news, but that’s not a bad thing as UFC does have a dominant position in the MMA media world. Thanks, and thank you for the US edition!

From ‘DMWC’, via email

Predictions on YouTube

I would just like to say what a great mag you guys do. Have you seen the young Geordie girl on YouTube that does UFC predictions? I noticed now that she has been sponsored by Tap or Sleep. Her name is Caitlin (www.youtube.com/19bootsy68) , I found her when I was looking at the UFC 96 predictions, and as far as I can tell this 11-year-old is the only young person from the UK that is on YouTube doing UFC predictions. It’s great young people are so interested in this sport, no matter how old they are.  

Anthony, via email

A huge thanks to Pete Willmore, Herts, for sending us lots of great caricatures, sorry we couldn’t show them all!

GALLERY

Hey guys,

Just picked up the latest issue at Tescos, I loved the article about Lorenzo. I always buy it on the way to work and read it in my lunch hour! I’ve been a reader since issue 1 and still love it. 

Richy McLaren, Gateshead

Glad you still enjoy the mag Richy. Look out next month for our 50th issue. There will be some special features not to be missed!

This is me with GSP and my brother John at UFC 95 in London. What a show!

Andy, Liverpool

Hi Guys. Me and BJ Penn at UFC 95. This made my year! Keep doing the good work.

James Chappell, Dorset

Thanks Dee, for sending in your pics from UFC 95, you certainly seemed to be in the right place at the right time, you met everyone! Sorry we couldn’t print them all!  

But here’s a few- we love them!