YOUNGSTERS MOTOR NORTH FOR THE FIRST TIME
SPORTS
foe as rival MMaa r t i n s boasts a record of 15 w ins w itithh 10 knockouts to his name. But as he looks ahead to the crunch clash , Whiteford sets a simple goal for himself: “I need to win.” That focus has seen him make huge sacrifices in his personal life as he pursues sporting glory.
He got engaged to girlfriend Dawn last year but had to spend seven months away from her in America to chase UFC success.
Whiteford admits being away from Dawn so much has been tough, although they still keep in touch on their smartphones.
And the hardman has another, Rising stars of British speedway will race in Glasgow today as a showpiece tournament takes place north of the border for the first time.
The first round of the Mitas British Youth Championship will start at 3pm at Ashfield and organiser Neil Vatcher said: “The majority of the supporters won’t have seen these guys before more surprising, admissiona to make – he also missesmi his cat.
He said: “I miss Dawn and my cat a lot when I’mI away.
“It’s just one of ththe sacrifices I have to make in thisthi job.
“I have to leave my girlfriend Dawn home for montmonths at a time but I’ve been doing it sinsince day one and it’s nothing new.
“Not a lot of girls wowould put up with this lifestyle so I’m very lucky. “It’s difficult becausebeca I spent seven months in AmericaAm away from everyone lastla year.
“It’s hard becausebecau you want to see them. You canc Facetime them and things llike that but seeing them as you speak makes it even harder.”ha Whiteford nnow cal ls a state- of-the-the- art, 40,000 square-square-footfo gym his home. ItIt’s owned by AmerAmerican Top TeamTeam, one of the woworr l d ’ s mos t famous martial arts squads, and tthe Scot has everything he needs close at hand.han Working but I can guarantee they’ll be talking about it for a long time afterwards.”
The tournament comes a day after Edinburgh Monarchs skipper Sam Masters slammed leading riders following a 46-44 home defeat to Berwick Bandits, their second straight League Cup defeat in six days.
He said: “Some of our side just didn’t gate well enough.” Bromac Kelburne virtually booked their place in the Robert savours his famous win
at the Hydro alongside legendary coaches Ricardo Liborio and Conan Silveira, he is literally living in the gym.
There’s an elevator that takes him directly from the bunks to the main gym floor.
So he has 12 weeks of waking up and showering before going straight to the training mats.
With three different training sessions lasting a combined nine hours each day, Whiteford knows it will make him an elite athlete.
Whether it’s working on his wrestl ing, boxing or Brazi lian Jiu-Jitsu, he’s surrounded daily by fellow UFC fighters.
Whiteford knows he’s in the best place to advance his career but the heat in Coconut Creek makes his routine even more punishing.
And he would much rather be back home in Scotland, dealing with the wind and rain.
He said: “I hate the weather here and can’t wait to come home.
“It’s 90 degrees every day and I miss the grey and the wind I’m used to.
“When you’re home, you hate it. But when you’re away, you realise how good you have it in Scotland.” European play-off final with a 4-1 first-leg win over Western Wildcats.
Meanwhile, former Grange player Duncan Riddell was among those on target as Grove Menzieshill won the other tie 3-1 at Edinburgh club Grange.