Will ready to step back into the Octagon

A charity MMA (mixed martial arts) fighter from Hutton Cranswick is ready to step back into the Octagon again later this year after winning his maiden bout in Hull recently.

Will McGill, 19, took part in the Ultra MMA event held at the MKM Stadium on 22nd April to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

After receiving training from Hull-based MMA specialists at St Mary’s College Sports Centre, as well as local father and son Thai boxers Craig and Owen Scurry, and Rob Murray, of the Driffield Health Hub, Will felt fully prepared when he came face to face with his opponent.

Following a first round that saw the former Driffield School & Sixth Form student absorb some pressure, Will dominated the second round, forcing the referee to stop the contest after he landed a heavy kick to his opponent’s leg.

Having heard about the chance to sign up for the fight at work, Will told the Wolds Weekly he had no hesitation in signing up, despite no prior experience of taking part in a combat sport often labelled ‘ultimate fighting’.

“I signed up for the fight in February after hearing about it through one of my work colleagues who had been training for another event previously,” said Will.

“He asked if I fancied a go and I immediately said yes. It was something different to anything I’d done before.

“I was excited for the training, as it was outside my comfort zone and I wanted to see how it would change my body shape.

“I’d never done anything similar, other than a little bit of boxing.

“I started training in March and I loved every session, especially those with Craig, Owen and Rob.

“They were massively helpful and showed me the right way to train and fight, as well as helping me stay calm and use my attributes to win the fight.”

When fight night arrived, Will used the methods he had learned in training to mentally prepare himself backstage.

His prior knowledge of his opponent also helped and played a major part in Will’s second round victory, a feat he is hoping to repeat later in the year.

“On fight night, I was calm and ready to fight,” he said. “I knew how hard I had worked in training, so there was no reason to be nervous.

“I listened to music before the fight, ate well and just walked around and spoke to the other fighters so that I stayed calm.

“The fight went as I expected it to. After seeing my opponent sparring previously in the gym, I knew he liked to start fast.

“If he didn’t land his shots, he would get tired quickly as he weighed 96-kilograms.

“As anticipated, he came out very fast, throwing kicks and punches, but I managed to soak it up and keep a good range.

“In the second round, he was tired, but tried to land more shots. However, I kept moving and managed to land some body punches and then one leg kick.

“At this point, the referee had to stop the fight as my opponent couldn’t carry on.

“To win felt unbelievable, the adrenaline was mad. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will definitely be getting in the ring again, hopefully in September and then again in December.”

The Ultimate MMA event in Hull raised around £5,000 for Cancer Research UK.