Former student Damien Brown and mentor Ian Bone keen for Battle of the North

A history of MMA training between two veterans has come full circle, with one coach’s protege set to feature as the headline act on the other’s card.

Veteran and gym owner Ian Bone at the Courage Training Centre. Picture: Evan Morgan

A history of MMA training between two veterans has come full circle, with one’s top student set to headline the other’s premier MMA event - the first held in Townsville in seven years.

Owner of Courage Training Centre and former MMA fighter Ian Bone said he was excited to once again be making MMA history with his former student Damien ‘Beatdown’ Brown.

The event, billed the Battle of the North, will take place on May 11 and will not only be Beatdown MMA’s first event in Townsville, but one of the first events to feature Townsville talent fighting against international opposition.

Townsville fighter Jack ‘Bricktop’ James from Courage Training Centre is set to take on Adam ‘The Smiling Assassin’ Cook, from Auckland’s famous City Kickboxing gym as the main event.

City Kickboxing, the home of UFC stars like Israel Adesanya and Kai-Kara France, also played a hand in the ascent of former UFC champion Alexander Volkanovski, as a frequent stop during his training camps.

Mr Bone said it was exciting to see how the sport has grown since he first started.

“I’ve really been on a personal mission to show that we have talent that is good enough to fight some of the best gyms in Australia and New Zealand,” Mr Bone said.

“Townsville is hot and there are a lot of hard workers doing the training day in and day out, and we have some great history in fighters like Mark Flanagan.

“We now have young fighters and boxers like Jack James and Lewis Chadwick who are making a name for themselves. We are there to prove we can take on the best of the best and prove that we belong on the world stage.”

Mr Bone was part of the coaching and corner team for ‘Beatdown’ Brown’s stints in the UFC and Rizin, and said it’s satisfying to see how the two ex-servicemen have continued to succeed.

“To see how we have both grown and developed our own fighting and now our own ex-veteran run businesses, where we train the next generation of young talent, is amazing,” Mr Bone said.

“I am really stoked that it’s come full circle and one of my old military students has started his own business and it’s super successful.

“It’s great that people are able to witness Damien and I’s journey from fighting to running our own businesses. We have stayed great friends and when he asked if I had some guys that were keen to put on a show in Townsville I couldn’t wait. It’s really exciting.”

Veteran and gym owner Ian Bone at the Courage Training Centre. Picture: Evan Morgan

Mr Bone’s love of the sport led him to open his own gym, Courage Training Centre in 2014.

“The goal was always to run a great mixed martial arts centre where people can find their own personal courage,” he said.

“We have a full boxing program, Thai boxing program and Brazilian jiu-jitsu program. The idea is that we want people who want to learn to have the best coaches possible.”

Mr Bone said MMA has many benefits, both in and out of the ring.

“99 per cent of the benefits that come from MMA happen before you even step up to fight,” he said.

“The discipline and training required is the main part of it and then the fighting is the one per cent.”

“Discipline can be really powerful. I took that large part of my military life and applied that same level of discipline and commitment to my training.”

With mental health and suicide a huge issue for Australians aged 15 to 45, Mr Bone said that MMA can be beneficial to both physical and mental health.

“MMA forces you to think through a solution and challenge your body and brain,” he said.

“It really attacks your ego and your ability to engineer a solution to the problem.”

Mr Bone said that he wanted to highlight the skill and athleticism of MMA instead of the sport being seen as violent or dangerous.

“MMA can be confronting,” he said.

“You are either being kicked, punched or controlled. Those things are uncomfortable.”

“It challenges you unlike anything else. Martial arts can be an escape and I want people to see it more of a therapeutic thing instead of the thuggery that it may have been seen as in the past.”

The ‘Beatdown Promotions 7: Battle in the North’ event will be held on May 11 at the Townsville Convention and Entertainment Centre. Tickets are available online via Ticketek.

Originally published as Former student Damien Brown and mentor Ian Bone keen for Battle of the North