Sunshine Coast’s top Mixed Martial Arts and Muay Thai titleholders
Sunshine Coast MMA and Muay Thai fighters are continuing to impress at the elite level with eight rising stars claiming championship titles in recent months. See the list.
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A number of rising Sunshine Coast fighters have continued to assert themselves at the elite level picking up championship belts in their respective sport and divisions.
Mixed martial arts and Muay Thai stars from Kawana, Coolum and Caloundra have been crowned champions in recent months as they now look to prepare for their next major fight.
See what some of the Sunshine Coast’s best had to say on their victories and what fans can expect in the coming months.
Team Stalder Muay Thai
Dre Stalder
“I was fighting for the U18 WBC 55kg Super bantamweight title and it was my 21st fight,” Stalder said.
“Being that this was a rematch after a very close fight previously, I was hungrier than ever to get the win.
“I won this fight with two judges declaring 5/5 rounds to me and one judge 4/5 rounds to me, so I couldn’t be prouder of such a convincing win.”
The 16-year-old, who works as a first year apprentice for Holland Building, has been fighting for 3.5 years.
He said he hoped to improve in the coming months.
“Next, I’m looking at a three month training and fighting stint in Thailand early next year,” he said.
“My boss supports my journey and I’m lucky for that and I’ve been offered to be a sponsored fighter at a gym my family has been part of for a long time.
“Then towards March there is an international competition for 17-19 year-olds which I’m aiming towards and hopefully further selection for the Australian team.”
Jayden Carroll
Carroll, 13, took his record to 10 wins, seven losses and one draw when he took home another Queensland title belt last month.
He is also the current Siam Australian titleholder, Destiny show title belt holder, Retribution show title belt holder.
“I am so grateful for the opportunities I have been given, I’m always working harder for each fight and I couldn’t be happier with the end result,” he said.
The Unity College student has been involved in Muay Thai for four years and said he enjoyed the mental and physical challenges.
“What I love most about this sport is that it has grown my confidence over the years and has provided me with opportunities I would not have thought I could achieve,” he said.
“It keeps me fit and strong and motivates me to want more out of myself.
“I want to be the best that I can through representing my club and country and hopefully to make it to the Olympics.”
Combat Lab Martial Arts
Daniel Staveley
Staveley, 28, fights in the middleweight division and recently took home the XFC Middleweight MMA championship title.
His victory came in the opening two minutes bringing his record to four wins and two loses.
“My opponent Jackson Weir-White tried to pick me up and slam me but exposed his neck and I choked him unconscious with a guillotine choke,” he said.
“I am really proud, it’s great to have something to show for all the hard work our whole team has put in over the years, people see you get in the cage for a brief moment but they don’t see the massive amount of work that goes into preparing for a fight behind the scenes.
“All the dieting, cutting weight and training in several disciplines takes so much time and effort from so many people.
It may only be one person in the cage but it is 100 per cent a team sport.”
Staveley, who thanked the efforts of his coach Joel Szepesvary, was studying a bachelor of paramedicine.
He said he was looking at soon making his professional debut and enjoyed all aspects of stepping into the octagon.
“What I love about competing in the sport is that it is the purest form of combat and competition,” he said.
“When you are in the cage it’s not just fighting, it’s like a physical chess match with dire consequences.”
Hank King
King, 32, successfully defended his Coastal Combat middleweight belt in October after picking up the belt in February.
“My fight was mostly a striking affair, I’ve had pretty grapple heavy fights in the past and won via submission in my last two so I really wanted to showcase my striking,” he said.
“My opponent also had 12 Muay Thai fights outside of his MMA career so I wanted to show that despite that I was the better striker.
“The fight was scheduled for five rounds but I scored a shut your lights out KO in the third from a left hook.”
He said the lead up to the fight was tough.
“My prep was good with no injuries leading in,” he said.
“I felt the fittest I ever have and supremely confident in my ability to finish the fight either on the feet or on the ground.
“My coach Joel Szepesvary and the team at Combat Lab pushed me hard, put me in deep waters and some dark places during the fight camp, but that meant I was ready for a five-round war.”
Lewis Shally
Shally, 32, fought in the lightweight division and recently took home the Coastal Combat lightweight championship belt.
“The fight was tough, I was fighting a two-time champion and he is currently the lightweight IMMAF champion and Grow Strong featherweight champion in Ryan Bishop,” Shally said.
“He has double the fights I have on record, I have lots of respect for Ryan and his team and knew this would be my most difficult test to date.
“The fight wasn’t going my way for the first three rounds, I had taken some heavy hits but was able to weather the storm and catch him in a guillotine choke submission in the fourth round forcing him to tap out and achieve my dream of becoming a mixed martial arts champion.”
Shally said it was a series of mixed emotions following the victory.
“I was very emotional after realising I had achieved my goal after close to 12 years of training, it was a long road to the championship,” he said.
He thanked his coach Joel Szepesvary for the work he has put in and hoped to further his skills in the coming months.
“Without Joel and the team at Combat Lab none of this success would have been possible,” he said.
“I’m not sure what is next for me at this point. I’m going to sit down with my team in the near future and decide what is next for me.
“I came into the gym as a skinny teenager and he’s turned me into a champion so I truly cannot thank him enough.”
Ignite Martial Arts Academy
Jake Piper
Piper, 18, won the XFC title as the Australian bantamweight champion, ultimately taking his record to six wins and one loss.
“Winning or losing never matters to me, it matters that I make the people who helped me out proud,” he said.
“Getting my coach closer to his goals and representing the gym and town, that’s what makes me happy.”
He said his next fight would be in February 2023 for the IMMAF world championship.
Piper thanked the efforts and support from his coach Ryan Dunstan and the Ignite gym.
“The thing I enjoy most about the sport is being able to put on a performance and show a range of techniques, toughness and have the platform to be a role model for others,” he said.
“In the next two to five years I’ll be on my way to the top of the UFC.”
Davide Martinez
Martinez was victorious via a rear naked choke submission, making the win his ninth as a professional, and claiming the Eternal MMA Lightweight Championship Title.
“Getting the belt back was our major goal for 2022,” he said.
“My manager, team and myself decided I needed to be more well rounded, so my manager, Jane Martinez who is also my wife, found me a striking coach in Ryan Doyle from Hell Raiser Combat Centre and she also got me to start a strength and conditioning program at Muscle Hut under Scott Hipwell.
“My training was fantastic, being one of the best camps I’ve ever had so far in my career.”
Known as the ‘Smiling Assassin’, Martinez said he would be defending his title in February or March in 2023.
Martinez acknowledged the work of his coach Ryan Dunstan as his win on September 19 meant he was the only fighter so far that has managed to win the title twice.
He hoped to further his talents in international fights in the coming years.
“I see myself signed with one of the bigger international promotions within the next two years,” Martinez said.
“Whether that is the UFC, Bellator, One Championship or PFL.”
John-Martin Fraser
Fraser, 30, is the current middleweight champion of eternal MMA and more recently fought on six days’ notice on September 16 against Matt Myers as a replacement.
“I had a tough back and forth fight winning a unanimous decision utilising my wrestling to get the win,” he said.
“My current fight I’m working towards is a rematch with Matt Myers on December 2 on the Gold Coast for the Eternal title this time.
“This training camp has been the best yet, I’ve worked harder than ever to continue my win streak and am feeling fit and strong heading into this upcoming fight.”
Fraser said he hoped to be in the UFC in the next few years.
He said he mostly enjoyed the different ways to win or lose within the ring and the high intensity training situations.
“I’d like to thank my teammates and coaches at Ignite MMA and Hellraiser Muay Thai centre,” he said.
“My coaches Ryan Doyle, Kyle Noke and Ryan Dunstan put a lot of time and effort in getting me prepared and that time is taken from their own lives, time with their family, and I can’t thank them enough for what they do for me.”
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