Wetherby bar manager Daniel Hibbert so enjoyed competing in his debut MMA bout that he signed up for a second eight weeks of training to compete on a second show where he won for the second time.

‘I took up MMA as a challenge and was proud of my performance on the Ultra MMA Leeds show last November,’ said Hibbert, 28. ‘I’d experienced mental health issues. I felt less nervous walking into the cage this time on the Bolton show. Last autumn we had eight weeks of training with Bad Company in Leeds.

This time I was trained at StrikeKings in Bradford and involved some kickboxing and jiu-jitsu in addition to basic MMA. It was a long drive there, but their coaches were enthusiastic and effective. I was delighted to get the win over opponent Harvey Hough who hit me harder than anyone ever had. I pinned him down and peeled his feet from the floor and then punched hard enough to get the win.’

‘Novices are restricted with head punches only allowed to standing opponents and only body punches are permitted to a downed opponent. Winning these bouts has been the most exhilarating experience of my life. I aim to do a few more. Thanks also to Immortal Martial Arts (Seacroft) and Hajime Judo club (Horsforth) for cornering me in Bolton along with my wonderful younger brother Francis.’

placeholder image — Daniel Hibbert and Cornering Team

Hibbert’s Lancashire fight was organised by Manchester Top Team. Training for the next Leeds Ultra MMA event starts mid-September with a show at The Village in Headingley on 14th November. Sign up at https://www.ultra-mma.co.uk .