By James Bovington
MMA fighter Louis Power is delighted to have been made captain of the fight team at Immortal Martial Arts, the East Leeds gym which opened two years ago.
The gym is now firmly established on the Yorkshire MMA scene having recently held its first interclub competition.
“I began Thai Boxing as a hobby in 2018 but then started to compete,” said Power, 28.
“Over time I added BJJ and transitioned fully into MMA as a fully-fledged amateur fighter. I’ve made progress through consistent training and surrounding myself with dedicated partners and coaches.
“I’ve just had my ninth amateur MMA bout and have also recently obtained my purple belt in BJJ.
“That’s a reward for hard work and dedication in jiu-jitsu. My main task as captain will be coaching and mentoring. I’m honoured to have been chosen. I’ve earned wins by submission, decision, and knockout, hopefully showing a well-rounded skill set. I’m not discouraged by losses.
“Best viewed as a learning experience. Each fight provides valuable experience, especially when against the best amateurs in the UK and Europe. It’s these lessons I’ll be passing on.”
Originally from Oldham, Power remained in Leeds after completing his history degree and now lives with his girlfriend and daughter in Armley, where he works an assistant store manager.
“Martial Arts are my passion,” he added. “I’ve progressed at IMA, especially owing to the commitment of my head coach Liam Cann along with Mateusz Duczmal and Stuart Graham. Their guidance continues to be invaluable as I and others at IMA aim to fulfil our ambition of competing in professional MMA.
“For various personal reasons I signed up at IMA but there’s lots of more local opportunities for people keen to get involved in combat sports. There’s The Ministry of Boxing near where I live and then you’ve got Bad Company in Bramley. There’s also AVT in Morley, which concentrates on MMA for this side of the city.”
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