Radley O’Connor, 20, took up MMA just last year and is set to compete for England at the IMMAF World Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan next month—if he can raise the funds to get there, reports Marco Marcelline
A 20-year-old Walthamstow mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter has been selected to represent England at the “Olympics of MMA fighting” just little over one year after he took the sport up.
Radley O’Connor was England’s first-pick in the middleweight division at the 2024 IMMAF World Championships, to be held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, from 5th – 10th November.
The MMA fighter decided to pursue the sport after training for one month with amateur and professional fighters at some of the most well known combat gyms in the world while on a gap year in 2023.
After feeling “renewed and inspired” by his potential, he decided to scrap plans to study sport science at Bangor University last September in order to see how far he could get in the sport.
His ambitions to compete for England at the IMMAF championships are in limbo, however, as the competition is completely self-funded. As a result, Radley is seeking public contributions to help fund the £1,500 needed for travel, accommodation, kit and registration fees.
He has so far raised £265 via a GoFundMe, where he appeals to people to help him “bring it home”.
Speaking to the Echo, he said: “It will be an honour to represent England in The IMMAF World Championships as it is a platform where most fighters amateur or professional don’t get the chance to compete.
“Coming into this sport I set my intentions very clear on what I wanted to set out to achieve, to have this opportunity presented only one year into my MMA journey at 20 years old is a dream come true and a true testament to works with faith.”
He added: “I wish I could have started combat sports at six years old, but as they say ‘the best time to start was ten years ago, the next best time is now’ so that’s exactly what I did.”
Radley’s first sport as a child was playing ice hockey, which he started playing at six years old through the influence his older brother. He then went on to play semi-professional football and competed in athletic competitions before eventually pursuing a career MMA fighting.
You can donate to Radley’s GoFundMe appeal here
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