Birdman is in beak condition for fight night
KICKBOXER SET FOR UK DEBUT AT GLORY 54
KICKBOXER Jamie Bates is preparing to take to the ring in the world’s premier stand-up combat league.
Jamie was just four years old when he took up martial arts.
Little did he know his hobby would take him to arenas and competitions around the world.
Now, the 28-year-old from Annfield Plain, who works as a falconer during the day, is getting ready for his first fight on UK turf at Glory 54.
It uses rules that allows artists from disciplines such as Kickboxing, Muay Thai, Boxing and Karate, to compete within one ring.
He said: “My dad ran a gym and at four I started martial arts, and then when I was eight I took up kickboxing and I have been fighting ever since.
“It was something good as a kid to get into and really positive in my life. I have fought in Copenhagen and in front of 15,000 people in Rotterdam.”
On June 2, Jamie will be competing at Glory 54 at the Genting Arena in Birmingham.
Contests are made up of three rounds of three-minute fights, or five rounds of three minutes for title fights.
Jamie said: “June 2 cannot come soon enough for me. It’s a dream come true to be fighting in front of a British audience. The fans who come to see us in Birmingham will be treated to a real spectacle with some of the best stand-up martial arts athletes on the planet.”
He added: “British fighters are resurgent right now. Anthony Joshua is the world champion in boxing and Michael Bisping became the first British fighter to win a UFC title.
“Now it’s time for the Glory belt to come to Britain as well.
“Traditionally the sport has been dominated by fighters from Thailand and mainland Europe, but that’s all going to change now Glory has opened the door to British fighters.”
Ahead of the event, Jamie is juggling training with his day job, working with birds of prey at a stately home in Lanchester.
“I train at Unit 29 in Washington twice a day,” he said. “I’ve worked as a falconer for 11 years ever since I left school. It wasn’t something I had planned but it is not something many people are able to do.”