Having won his world title fight on Friday 27th February, Liam is now the Light Heavyweight World Champion in what was only his tenth competitive fight!
Age: 32
Sport: MMA (Mixed Martial Arts)
Height: 6-ft 6-in
Weight: 93 kg
What do you do: I’m a professional MMA fighter in the light heavyweight weight class. I joined the American Bellator MMA franchise in 2012 after being crowned British champion at Fort Regent in 2011.
What is MMA: Mixed Martial Arts is a combat sport that incorporates boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, judo and jiu jitsu.
Professional record: 9 wins, 0 defeats
Favourite food: Mexican
Favourite MMA expression: Train hard fight easy (the harder you train the easier the fight will be).
Favourite song: The number of the beast (Iron Maiden)
You’re not currently living in Jersey, what do you miss about the island: I miss my friends there and I miss the beaches. The nightlife is also pretty good.
When did you start training MMA: I started training properly in 2010
What does it take to become a professional MMA fighter: It takes a lot of dedication and sacrifice. I have had to give up a lot to get where I am today but it will be worth it.
Where do you think is the best place in the world to fight MMA: It has to be America, that is the Mecca of MMA. It’s where I had to come to make a career out of it as Jersey hasn’t quite caught up yet (laughs)
Where and when was the favourite moment in your fighting career: It would have to be winning the Bellator Light Heavyweight tournament. I was the first British fighter to ever achieve that and I won all three fights in the first round. It earned me a shot at the world championship and again I will be the first Brit to win that too. Close second would be winning the ICO British title at Fort Regent, it was a big achievement, and even though I don’t think the island realised it at the time, all my friends that were watching cage-side did and that was great.
You’ve taken it to a whole new level in your sport, would you have any top tips for aspiring sportspeople: Work hard and stay on track. If you have a target then aim straight for it no matter what. Ignore the naysayers and the cynics, they will be the ones eating their words!
When you first started competing MMA was relatively unknown in Jersey, is that changing and if so how can people get involved in MMA in Jersey now: It appears to be changing slowly which is good but it is still a long way behind the rest of the modern world. The sport is mainstream worldwide and worth billions, with bluechip sponsors and major television deals. I feel bad for Jersey when they make silly mistakes like referring to it as ‘cage fighting’ or similar, I have even had companies in Jersey tell me the sport is not the right fit for them and then stammer when they find out it has sponsors like Nike, Gillette and Budweiser – but it’s ok as I know they will learn eventually, the internet is a great teacher. There is a local show that I started on called Rumble on the Rock that puts on great fights and people can train in MMA in Jersey at BPT (Brazilian Power Team) or Gracie Barra Channel Islands, both have top class instructors and all can be found on social media.
