Kingdom MMA focus on the UK amateur MMA scene with Craig Powell
by Ben Heather @benheather
Kingdom MMA again are focusing on interviewing some of the top amateur talent within UK MMA and this time we take a look at Craig Powell. On Saturday night Craig Powell (@craigpowell46) will be fighting at East Coast Fight Factory Night of Champions 4 from the Epic Studios in Norwich. Ahead of that fight he took time out of his schedule to have a chat with us about his upcoming fight, how he got in to MMA and how he went from a successful musician to an amateur MMA fighter.
Ben: Hi Craig, thanks for your time. Firstly can you remember the first time you came across MMA? and what is your first memory of MMA?
Powell: I remember it well! Watching one of the early UFC'S when the Gracie's were dominating! I had been doing karate, jiu jitsu and Kickboxing and was amazed at the idea of putting it all together in competition!
Ben: I believe you train at BKK, how did you first hear about this gym and what made you decide to go train at BKK?
Powell: I decided to begin training at BKK when I was recovering from back surgery. I was told I would never be able to compete again after a bad back injury but after surgery things went well and i got strong quickly! I decided i wanted to give competing a real go so looked for the best gym i could find.
I could see there were some excellent fighters at BKK, fighters who were a similar weight to myself. Since I've trained at BKK i have not looked back.
Ben: How long have you been training in MMA?
Powell: I have been training in MMA for a good few years but have done martial arts since the age of 7.
Ben: When did you first decide that you wanted to take the training to the next level and actually have a amateur fight?
Powell: After watching the UFC i knew i wanted to compete in the cage... mainly to test myself against other good fighters.
Ben: People may know you from your time in Uniting Nations and your songs but how did the transition from pop star to fighter come about?
Powell: After my time touring in Uniting Nations I could get back to a bit of normality and could get back into my training again. Then I really got the bug for MMA!!
Ben: Is fighting now your main goal or do you still have the desire to carry on in the music industry or both?
Powell: Fighting in MMA is my current main goal, although I still song write and still gig regularly each week.
Ben: For the fans out there who may not have seen you fight before can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what they can expect on Saturday night?
Powell: They can expect to see The Pop Sensation at his best. I'm happy to fight where ever it goes BUT I'm the dictator... so it will go where i want it to go.
Ben: On Saturday night you will be fighting at ECFF and this will be your 8th amateur fight, do you see this as a stepping stone in the progression for your transition to ultimately going pro?
Powell: I do indeed. The main goal in my head is to go pro and make an impact on the pro bantamweight division.
Ben: How do you see yourself winning the fight on Saturday night?
Powell: I predict a win via GnP!
Ben: Would you like to say thank you to anyone?
Powell: I'd like to thank my coach Jack Mason and all my training partners. We all push each other forward. I'd like to thank my wife Lisa for her help while I weight cut... eating ice creams in front of me! Also, thanks to you too for helping give us fighters some exposure. It means a lot.
Thank you again to Craig for giving up his time for this interview and we all wish him all the best going in to his fight this weekend. To follow Craig on twitter his twitter name is @craigpowell46.
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