Keen to follow on from the first edition of Prospect Watch #WHOATV are pleased to bring part two of the series which focuses on another five fighters of the age of 18 years old and under.
Whilst records and categories they fight at may vary, one underlying theme between these fighters is that they are absolutely committed to the sport of mixed martial arts, with most competing in at least one form of martial arts from very early ages (some as young as 12).
So it is #WHOATV’s pleasure to bring you a selection of some of #UKMMA’s best young amateur prospects to keep your eyes on;
Callum Mullen (16 years old)
Callum is one of the younger fighters on the list but age is just a number. The 16 year old trains out of Fulinkazan in Bradford under the tutelage of Head Coach Mark Spencer and James Doyle and coach Nam Hoang. Callum has been training for about three and a half years and has an Amateur A record of 5-0. Callum fights between Flyweight and Bantamweight and also trains with Combat Base BJJ under Darren and Helen Currie whom he attributes his Blue Belt to. Callum clearly has a lot of potential and at such a young age it will be very exciting to watch this young prospect over the coming years.
Lucas Cox (18 years old)
Lucas is just tipping the age barrier but given the much deserved hype behind him there was no way I could not include him in this article. Lucas is an independent fighter but trains under Matt Walton, Brad Pickett and Mickey Papas which just goes to prove that this young fighter has his head on his shoulders and certainly knows where to find some of the best training in the UK. A Featherweight fighter with a 3-0 record which includes wins on Fight UK MMA, TMT (Too Much Talent) and BCMMA, Lucas is starting to make a name for himself on the amateur scene. Lucas, who predominantly trains out of the Bat Cave MMA camp recently suffered a bad elbow injury which has left him on the sidelines but he is now back in training and we can hopefully expect to see him return to the cage later this year or early in 2016.
George McManus (17 years old)
Well just listing young George’s accomplishments in the grappling scene is going to take up a big majority of this article and the Welterweight fighter without detailing any of his MMA bouts. McManus has a combined MMA record of 7-2 (5-2 non headshots, 2-0 unified amateur rules) and most recently stopped Alex Elsey in 49 seconds at BCMMA 12. In his last four fights he has grabbed victory via guillotine choke and the current Total Combat Welterweight Junior Champion is highly regarded by his BJJ coach Victor Estima as one to watch. McManus is a blue belt under Estima and won the Blackpool Open, British Open, English Open, Manchester Open which is a testament to his grappling skills.
John James Young (17 years old)
John James Young trains out of Predators MMA in Blackburn alongside the likes of Arran Cottam and Chris Price who were both featured in Prospect Watch 1st Edition. Rob Freedman has really helped to grow the young fighters at his gym and has developed a group of top class fighters who all compete in the lower weight classes. Young fights at Bantamweight and has a record of 3-1 which include fights on Caged Predators and Budo Fighting Championships. Young has been training in MMA for nearly two years and will be fighting Dan Grierson on 14th November for the Bantamweight Title at UK Fighting Championships. Definitely worth keeping an eye on both of these young prospects on the #UKMMA scene.
Ollie Sarwa (15 years old)
15 year old Ollie Sarwa fights out of Force MMA under head coach Darren Jones and has been training since the age of 11 years old. He trains MMA, BJJ and Muay Thai at Basement Martial Arts in Stevenage and with a record of 2-0 has so far fought on Strength & Honour and BCMMA 12. Ollie has a number of accolades in his young career to date including British Open BJJ Champion in 2015 and English UKMF Thai Champion. Both of these accomplishments are not only credit to his BJJ coach (Ben Hodge) and Muay Thai coach (Oliver Warren) but also to the dedication and hard work that Ollie has put into his MMA career. Having fought on a big show like BCMMA in only his second fight, Ollie Sarwa is definitely a name to familiarise yourself with and we can expect big things from this young fighter.