Battle in the North: MMA fight night handbook
Townsville’s first professional mixed martial arts event in seven years is essential viewing for fighting fans. Find out everything you need to know about the Beatdown Promotions event.
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Two Innisfail brothers with a shared dream of making it to the UFC, will be stepping into the ring for the Battle in the North fighting on the same card for the first time in years as they both enter the start of their professional careers.
Kyle, 20, and Brodie Mayocchi, 19, were first introduced to mixed martial arts after going along to the gym at seven and eight years old to watch their dad train.
Soon they were thrust into the combat sport, doing their best to take each other down at home before they were thrown into the ring for the first time only months after beginning their training.
More than a decade on and the two brothers are taking huge steps towards achieving their dream with both having their first professional fights in the next four weeks.
“I’m ready for it,” Brodie said. “I feel like it’s been a long time coming but it’s definitely something I’ve been excited for and working towards so I’m excited to get there and get it done.
“He (Kyle) is pretty excited and confident and pretty keen to go in and get it done and make sure the hard work and training pays off.”
Kyle is currently sitting at 5-2 for his amateur career while Brodie is 5-0.
The pair are currently both in New Zealand training with City Kickboxing in Auckland with Kyle completing a six to eight-week fight camp and Brodie training full time after winning Relentless, a NZ TV series that put six fighters up against each other for a chance to secure a 12-month fighting scholarship.
“Pretty hectic, it was definitely good and lots of fun. We were smashing out heaps of training and got to go around New Zealand” Brodie said.
“I just gave it a shot and then I ended up winning and thought well this will be a good opportunity to be able to train full time instead of working and training.”
He said having his older brother fighting and training beside him always motivated him to constantly work harder.
“Growing up it was always eventful with a few hard scraps in the mix but it’s definitely good having somewhere there to push you and try and smash you for 10 years all day every day, it definitely helps your training.”
Kyle will be making his pro debut this weekend in New Zealand and three weeks later Brodie will be joining him as a professional fighter as they fight on the same card at the Battle in the North in Townsville.
“It’ll be the first time we will be fighting on the same card for a while, especially so close to home … I don’t think I’ve ever had an MMA fight so close to home,” he said.
FORMER STUDENT DAMIEN BROWN AND MENTOR IAN BONE KEEN FOR BATTLE OF THE NORTH
Nikita McGuire, April 22
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.
FULL CIRCLE MOMENT FOR BRICKTOP
Patrick Woods, April 17
It will be a special moment for Townsville fighter Jack ‘Bricktop’ James when he steps into the cage at Townsville Convention and Entertainment Centre on May 11 – the same venue of his first competitive bout seven years ago.
That was the last time Townsville hosted a professional MMA event and a young James took on one of his stablemates in an exhibition fight early in the night.
This time around he will be the headline act when he takes on Adam ‘The Smiling Assassin’ Cook, who is fighting out of Auckland’s famous City Kickboxing gym.
James beat Jamie Sporne by unanimous decision in his last fight five weeks ago – another Beatdown Promotions bout in Brisbane.
He said the next three weeks would involve a hectic training schedule before he attempts to improve his 5-2 professional record.
“I’ve just been training really hard and trying to keep fit and stay motivated,” James said.
“The next three weeks are training super hard, super intense. A lot of mental effort, a lot of physical effort, but that last week before the fight will definitely taper down and try to reap those gains.”
The welterweight warrior said he was looking forward to taking on the challenge of a completely new opponent.
“New opponent, never seen him, never met him so it’s a good challenge,” James said
“He trains out of City Kickboxing in New Zealand, which is a good reputable gym and they have a lot of fighters, so that’s what makes it so exciting for me.
“He looks like a bit of a trickster on the feet, like he’ll throw a lot of different techniques, moving around a lot and giving a lot of different looks so I’m expecting a good battle on the feet, but he’s also very game on the ground as well.”
At the head of Beatdown Promotions is former Townsville soldier turned professional UFC lightweight fighter Damien ‘Beatdown’ Brown.
Brown said he was excited to bring an MMA event to North Queensland, a decision that was solidified by James’ place in the main event.
“He’s in a good position in his career and I wanted to give him a good opportunity in front of family and friends,” Brown said.
“I love Townsville, it’s a great city. I’ve always got a great vibe from there and to me it makes a lot of sense to go back up there.
“Expect action packed, back-to-back fights. We don’t do theatrics, it’s all about experiencing a fight night.”
James said the entire North Queensland fighting community was buzzing at the prospect of the event.
“It’s huge. Everyone’s excited. The vibe at the gym is awesome and whenever we go to other martial arts events around North Queensland everyone is talking about the next MMA show in Townsville after seven years, so it’s really exciting,” James said.
“We’ve got two other local fighters from my gym, from Courage Training Centre, then there’s also some other local Townsville from other gyms in towns and then we’ve got people fighting from Mackay and Innisfail and other great gyms around North Queensland.”
Beatdown Promotions 7: Battle in the North will be held at the Townsville Convention and Entertainment Centre on May 11, tickets are available online.
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Originally published as Battle in the North: MMA fight night handbook
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