PRO ATHLETE ON DREAMS THE
MMA star tells how modelling keeps him fighting fit
From king of the ring to a catwalk knockout, cage fighter Mark Ewen is the unlikeliest of male models.
One of Scotland’s top MMA champions, he is also boxing clever in the world of fashion.
And the 23-year-old revealed his modelling career makes him a better fighter – because he can’t risk a broken nose or black eyes.
He said: “When I tell folk on modelling jobs I’m a fighter, they are aghast and say, ‘Really? No way! How can that possibly work?’ Well, for me, it works perfectly.
“I have to be good at the fighting to protect my face so it makes me train harder to be the best. I can’t afford to get black eyes and cuts before going on shoots.
“My fighting style is to avoid taking any punishment – so hit and don’t get hit. This ensures I can continue with my modelling career. “I’m not saying I don’t get hurt because I do but I try hard to limit the damage. I have had black eyes in the past but never before a shoot. “My MMA mates think it is funny I can do both. It’s rare for a fighter to be a model. They take the mickey out of me and make jokes about how handsome I am but in the end it is them and my opponents who are left laughing on the other side of their face when I hammer them in the ring.”
The former UK and Ireland amateur l ightweight champion has starred in campaigns for big brands including Barbour, Trespass and Slaters Menswear.
The 6ft professional athlete, from Polmont, near Falkirk, will be heading to fight in the US after signing a five-fight deal with a promoter in Miami, Florida. His dream is to become an MMA European and World Champion in the sport, which has made his hero Conor McGregor a household name.
The former Graeme High School pupil said: “I became involved in the sport when I was 16. A friend was going along to a class and I tagged along. I was instantly hooked. My pal stopped going and I carried on. “Cage fighting is the old name for it as we compete in a caged ring but that makes it sound like a barbaric sport fought by barbarians, which it is not. We are all elite athletes.
“MMA or Mixed Martial Arts is a combat sport incorporating techniques from boxing, wrestling, judo, jujitsu, karate and Muay Thai – you train them all and blend them
together. I train twice a day religiously and rigorously seven days a week as I need to be at the top of my game in all of the disciplines.
“I have a nutritionist and follow meal plans and, once a fight is booked, it’s head down and get on with it. I hardly ever drink any more as I am intent on chasing my dreams.”
Mark, who trains at Higher Level Martial Arts gym in Whitburn, West Lothian, added: “I want to be European and World Champion. That’s what I have been aiming for and I truly believe I will be.
“I f ight in the lightweight category – 155lb/70kg – and was amateur No1 at my weight class in the UK and Ireland.
“I’ve won my first two fights as a professional but it is hard to get people to fight me as they are afraid of being beaten. No one in the UK wants to risk their clean sheet. “But I have just signed a five-fight contract with a major promoter in Miami called Combate Global. They will fly me out there and, if I get all the wins, I can hopefully progress to the UFC, which is like the Premier League for MMA fighters. When I get that far, I can go for the title.”
Mark, who is signed to Scotland’s top model agency Colours, will not be calling time on his other career.
He said: “I love it. Colours reached out to me on Instagram when I was 18 and asked me to come in and see them. I had a good laugh as I thought it was a joke but when I told my mum she thought it was cool and encouraged me to give it a go. After a couple of hours I decided there was nothing to lose and a few days later I went into the agency and was signed on the spot. I haven’t looked back since. I love the people and the travelling.
“I’ve modelled for Slaters, Trespass, Barbour, Iolla eyewear and Miller Homes. When I started out, I was shy and awkward but I quickly learned what the clients and photographers wanted.
“I have done a couple of runway shows but my dream is to land a campaign for Nike or Louis Vuitton. Like with my sport, I like to dream big and why not? I’m going to have to get used to being in front of a camera if I am going to be a world champion.”
Mark said his girlfriend Holly Samuel, 25, and his mum Lindsay much prefer to see him on a catwalk than in the ring.
He said: “My partner, who is a nurse, supports me. She has come to my last couple of fights but she finds it hard to watch as seeing someone you love get beaten up is gut-wrenching. Mum can’t bear to watch. She has been a couple of times and had to stand outside in the hallway. She and Holly prefer me doing the modelling.”
Mark, whose dad Christian is Nigerian, hopes his dual careers as a model and MMA fighter will inspire other young men from ethnic minorities in Scotland to follow their dreams.
He said: “Floyd Mayweather has been a massive inspiration to me. He showed me that someone of my ethnicity could still be a star. I hope I can inspire kids from ethnic minority backgrounds that if they work hard enough their dreams can come true.”
Alison Bruce, of Colours, said: “Mark is a great model and role model. He has an incredible work ethic and his big personality shines through in shoots. We wish him every success.”