The Northam Elite Champions of Mixed Martial Arts club (ECMMA) just recently had two young fighters compete at a Muay Thai competition in Morley on July 16.
Fifteen-year-old Kaitlyn George won by technical knockout in the third round and is the first female fighter to win from the club.
Kyle Groves (19) lost by a razor thin split decision to a far more experienced fighter. This was their first fights. Luke Mcgavern, Toodyay, and Matthew Ferniough, Northam, won previously in the competition by unanimous decision.
The Wheatbelt club has a 75 per cent success rate, which is causing the bigger clubs of all different disciplines to stand up and take notice.
George and Groves will be competing again on August 26 under World Kickboxing Association rules. Three more young fighters will have their first bout under Muay Thai rules on Saturday, September 9.
Head coach Tommy Keefe said the wheatbelt team have a tough element they bring to competitions compared to Perth fighters.
“We have country grit,” he explained. Keefe said fighters have to work hard to focus on the end goal.
“We don’t own our own facility,” he said, “The majority of the guys competing have to train outside the club on other days. We train a lot harder than the other guys.”
Keefe said the club has a Wheatbelt competition planned for later this year or early next year, including boxing, kick boxing, Muay Thai and mixed martial arts. He said the fighters train for competitions in an eight-week ‘gruelling’ camp which involves eating well, strength conditioning and weight loss.
The club’s goal is to bring high quality MMA training and development to all elements of the Avon Valley community. They are looking for sponsors to assist in providing equipment and dedicated facilities to achieve their goal.
