George is all set for biggest ever fight
CAGE fighter George Smith is training hard ahead of the biggest fight of his career later this month.
The Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) middleweight fighter, who learned many of his skills in Huddersfield, turned pro last year and has won three of his four fights since then.
He knocked out opponent Ryan Hewston in just 12 seconds and won with a submission against Henrik Lie in 30 seconds.
George also beat Marcin Prostko in a minute – despite being told that he would be a “tough test.”
These successes have secured him a fight against Jenaid Ebanks at the Birmingham Resorts World Arena on Saturday October 26.
Around 5,000 people are expected to attend the Cage Warriors event.
George, originally from Shelf, near Halifax, admitted that there had been a gulf in class between him and his recent opponents, which is why he is looking forward to taking on better fighters on a bigger stage.
The 6ft 3in athlete believes the Cage Warriors events will be a stepping stone to UFC, the largest MMA promotion company in the world.
On the Birmingham bout, he said: “I am hoping to take around 100 people down there and I think there might be 5,000 people (in the arena).
“I want to get this fight done and then move onto bigger fights and climb the rankings. I want to test myself against the best, and Cage Warriors is the platform to do that.”
George, 25, who trains full-time at the famous SBG Gym in Manchester under coach Matt Inman, said he was working hard on his boxing and his ‘signature move’ - known as the anaconda choke.
He is being supported by family, friends and girlfriend Kelly Staddon, a British judo champion who runs a sports massage clinic in Holmfirth.
George says loves training and showcasing his skills in the ring.
“I am having the best time at the minute; I am loving it,” he told us.
“I have started to get more confident in myself. I am not a naturally confident person but finally I have got the confidence that I am good.”
He’s maintaining his fighting weight with dietary advice from his girlfriend and says he’s feeling relaxed ahead of the fight.
Asked about injuries, he joked: “My body is in pain 100% of the time. I look after it but the black eyes and bust lips are normal.”
He added: “I am not an out and out aggressive person. I don’t like confrontation and I am a chilled out guy.
“Some people thrive off aggression and doing damage to people. I just love martial arts and defeating my opponent is my job.”