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🥊 JEM MACE (1831–1910) “The Gypsy”

Jem Mace was one of the great pioneers of British boxing — a fighter whose extraordinary career spanned the transition from bare-knuckle prizefighting to gloved boxing.

Born in Norfolk in 1831, Mace became renowned not simply for toughness, but for his speed, movement, defence and intelligent approach to fighting. At a time when prizefighting could be brutally straightforward, Mace was regarded as a highly skilful and scientific boxer.

He became Bare-Knuckle Champion of England, holding the heavyweight championship during the 1860s.

One of the defining moments of his career came in 1870, when Mace travelled to America and fought Tom Allen. Mace defeated the American contender in a contest promoted for the world heavyweight championship, helping establish his international reputation.

His fighting career stretched across decades, and he continued giving boxing exhibitions long after most fighters would have retired. He therefore lived through an enormous transformation in the sport — from the brutal London Prize Ring era towards the gloved boxing that followed.

Mace's importance was recognised long after his death. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in the Pioneer category in 1990.

🥊 Bare-Knuckle Champion of England
🌍 International heavyweight champion
🔥 Fought across the bare-knuckle and gloved eras
🎩 Nicknamed “The Gypsy”
🏆 International Boxing Hall of Fame

#bareknuckle #boxing #fighter #combathistory #MMA #kickboxing #grappling #BJJ #BrazilianJiuJitsu #ifight #iFightGlobalUK #JemMace by @ifight.uk

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14 hours ago

MUAY THAI – THE ART OF EIGHT LIMBS

Originating in Thailand, Muay Thai is one of the world's most distinctive and powerful striking combat sports.

Its history stretches back centuries, developing from older Thai fighting traditions often collectively referred to today as Muay Boran. These methods were associated with practical hand-to-hand combat and gradually developed into organised contests and, eventually, the modern sport of Muay Thai.

During the 20th century, Muay Thai became increasingly regulated, with boxing rings, timed rounds, gloves, weight divisions and formal rules becoming part of the sport.

Muay Thai is famously known as “The Art of Eight Limbs” because fighters use their fists, elbows, knees and shins to attack. Unlike many other striking sports, it also places a huge emphasis on clinch fighting, where competitors battle for control while delivering knees, strikes and sweeps.

Training traditionally involves extensive pad work, heavy-bag training, sparring, clinching and conditioning, producing fighters renowned for their toughness and powerful striking.

Muay Thai is deeply connected to Thai culture. Traditional contests can include the Wai Kru Ram Muay, a ceremonial ritual performed before the fight to show respect to teachers, family and the fighter's traditions.

Today, Muay Thai is practised across the world both as a competitive sport and as an important striking base for MMA.

#MuayThai #ThaiBoxing #ArtOfEightLimbs #CombatSports #MartialArts #Kickboxing #Fighters #FightSports #Thailand #MMA #iFight #iFightGlobalUK by @ifight.uk

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a day ago

Too many fighters struggle to find the right opportunities because their experience, record and availability are scattered or hard to verify.

That is exactly the kind of problem iFight is built to fix.

One platform. Every martial artist.
https://www.ifight.uk

#iFight #MartialArts #CombatSports #Fighters by @ifight.uk

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2 days ago

YESTERDAY’S GUESS WHO… REVEALED!

Did you get it right?

That young lad grew up to become Mike Tyson, one of the most feared and explosive heavyweight boxers in history.

In 1986, aged just 20, Tyson became the youngest heavyweight world champion in boxing history, a record that still stands today.

Known as “Iron Mike”, his devastating power, speed and aggressive fighting style made him one of the most recognisable names in combat sports.

From the young boy in the first photo to “Iron Mike.”

Quite a transformation!

#MikeTyson #IronMike #BoxingLegend #BoxingHistory #GuessWho #BeforeTheyWereFamous #CombatSports #iFight #iFightGlobalUK by @ifight.uk

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4 days ago

🥊 LUCIA RIJKER “The Dutch Destroyer”

Lucia Rijker is one of the most formidable women to have competed in combat sports, building elite careers in both kickboxing and professional boxing.

Born in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Rijker began competing professionally in kickboxing in the 1980s. She became a four-time world champion, with sources recording her kickboxing career as either 36–0 or 37–0–1, with 25 knockouts.

She later switched her attention to professional boxing, making her debut in 1996 — and was just as devastating with her hands.

Rijker finished her professional boxing career with a perfect:
🥊 17 fights
🏆 17 wins
💥 14 knockouts
🔥 82% knockout rate
🏆 WIBF & WIBO World Champion

That means 14 of her 17 professional boxing victories came by knockout.

Nicknamed “The Dutch Destroyer,” Rijker combined explosive punching power with the technique and experience developed through years of kickboxing. Her achievements across two combat sports helped make her one of the best-known female fighters of her era.

She also reached audiences outside combat sports, appearing in the Oscar-winning boxing film Million Dollar Baby, as well as other film and television roles.

#bareknuckle #boxing #fighter #combathistory #MMA #kickboxing #grappling #BJJ #BrazilianJiuJitsu #ifight #iFightGlobalUK #LuciaRijker by @ifight.uk

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5 days ago

GUESS WHO?

Recognise this future fighting legend?

This young lad grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and had a pretty tough start in life. But after discovering boxing as a teenager, everything began to change.

He would go on to become one of the most feared and recognisable fighters on the planet — and at just 20 years old, became the youngest heavyweight world champion in boxing history.

His incredible power and explosive fighting style would eventually earn him a nickname known around the world.

Can you guess who this is?

Drop your answer in the comments

#GuessWho #BeforeTheyWereFamous #BoxingLegend #BoxingHistory #CombatSports #FightLegends #iFight #iFightGlobalUK by @ifight.uk

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5 days ago

SHOULD COMBAT-SPORT COACHES WORKING WITH CHILDREN BE REQUIRED TO HAVE A DBS CHECK?

Parents trust martial arts and combat-sports coaches with something incredibly important, their children.

Coaches can spend several hours each week working closely with young people, sometimes from a very young age. That raises an important question about safeguarding.

Should every coach working with children be required to have an appropriate DBS check?

A DBS check can provide information about a person's criminal record, subject to the type and level of check they are eligible for. But a DBS check is only one part of safeguarding and does not, by itself, prove that somebody is a safe or competent coach.

Requirements can also differ depending on how a club is structured, what role the coach performs and whether the work meets the legal eligibility criteria for a particular level of DBS check.

So should appropriate DBS checks become a standard expectation across children's combat sports, alongside safeguarding policies, suitable training and other protections?

What do you think?

#iFight #CombatSports #MartialArts #Safeguarding #DBSCheck #MartialArtsCoach #FightCoach #ChildSafeguarding #FightCommunity #iFightGlobalUK by @ifight.uk

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6 days ago

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7 days ago

FRANK BRUNO
1961–Present — British Heavyweight Champion 🥊

Frank Bruno is one of the most recognisable and popular figures in British boxing history.

Born in London in 1961, Bruno turned professional in 1982 and quickly became known for his immense physical strength, powerful right hand and knockout power. He won his first 21 professional fights by knockout, establishing himself as one of Britain's leading heavyweight prospects.

During an era packed with outstanding heavyweights, Bruno shared the ring with some of the biggest names in the sport, including Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis and Tim Witherspoon.

Bruno challenged for a world heavyweight title several times, but kept coming back after defeat. His persistence finally paid off on 2 September 1995, when he faced Oliver McCall at Wembley Stadium for the WBC Heavyweight Championship.

After 12 rounds, Bruno was declared the winner on points and finally became World Heavyweight Champion. The scenes at Wembley became one of the memorable moments in British boxing.

His final fight came in March 1996 when he faced Mike Tyson for a second time, losing his WBC title before subsequently retiring from boxing.

Bruno finished his professional career with an impressive record of 40 wins from 45 fights, with 38 victories by knockout — an 84% knockout rate across all his professional bouts.

Beyond his record, Bruno became a household name in Britain. His personality, infectious laugh and famous “Know what I mean, Harry?” exchanges with commentator Harry Carpenter helped make him known well beyond boxing fans.

#bareknuckle #boxing #fighter #combathistory #MMA #kickboxing #grappling #BJJ #BrazilianJiuJitsu #ifight #iFightGlobalUK #FrankBruno by @ifight.uk

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8 days ago

BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU – FROM JAPAN TO BRAZIL

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, or BJJ, is now practised around the world and has become one of the most influential fighting styles in modern MMA.

Although BJJ was developed in Brazil, its story begins in Japan.

In the early 1900s, Japanese judoka Mitsuyo Maeda travelled the world demonstrating his grappling skills before eventually arriving in Brazil. There, his knowledge was passed to Carlos Gracie, who trained alongside his brothers, including Hélio Gracie.

Over the following decades, the Gracie family and other Brazilian practitioners continued to develop their approach to grappling, with a strong emphasis on ground fighting, leverage, positional control and submissions.

Rather than relying purely on strength, BJJ teaches fighters to control an opponent and work towards a submission using techniques such as chokes and joint locks. This made it particularly interesting as a fighting system because a smaller practitioner could potentially overcome a much larger opponent through technique and positioning.

BJJ can be practised in a traditional Gi, where the clothing can be gripped and used during techniques, or No-Gi, which generally produces a faster style of grappling.

The sport gained huge international attention when Royce Gracie competed in the first UFC in 1993, demonstrating BJJ against fighters from other martial arts.

Today, BJJ is both a major competitive sport in its own right and a fundamental part of MMA.

#iFight #iFightGlobalUK #BJJ #BrazilianJiuJitsu #CombatSports #Brazil #Japan by @ifight.uk

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8 days ago

FACEBOOK / INSTAGRAM

🥊 iFIGHT ISN’T JUST ABOUT FINDING FIGHTS.

Combat sports happen through gyms, clubs, open mats, inter-clubs, seminars and community events.

So we’re bringing those into iFight too.

Through the iFight Events system you can:

✅ Create and publish events
✅ Run Open Mats
✅ Organise Inter-Clubs
✅ Create Community Events
✅ See upcoming events
✅ Manage registrations
✅ Set attendance limits
✅ Keep track of confirmed participants
✅ Put your event in front of the wider combat sports community

Whether you’re running a BJJ open mat, kickboxing inter-club, grappling session, seminar or something a little different, the idea is simple:

Create it. Publish it. Fill it.

And members can see what’s happening around them without relying on somebody sharing a Facebook post into seventeen different groups and hoping the right person spots it.

Combat sports should be better connected.

Search “iFight UK” to find us.

#iFight #CombatSports #MartialArts #MMA #BJJ #Kickboxing #Grappling #Boxing #OpenMat #InterClub #MartialArtsEvents #CombatSportsUK #FightCommunity #MartialArtsCommunity #SportsTech by @ifight.uk

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9 days ago

🥋 BEFORE iFIGHT, THERE WAS VOODOO.

This is me coaching a No-Gi guillotine at my old gym, Voodoo Combat, quite a few years ago.

No polished cameras.
No marketing department.
Definitely no language filter.

The unfortunate volunteer is a fellow black belt and mate, who apparently thought blowing kisses at the camera would improve the instructional quality.

And listen to the clap when I send everyone off to drill.

They deliberately clap completely out of time.

Bastards. 😂

But there’s actually a serious reason for posting this.

iFight didn’t come from somebody sitting in an office wondering what the combat sports industry might need.

It came from years of coaching, running a gym, working with fighters and practitioners, organising training and experiencing the problems that exist in combat sports first-hand.

I’ve been on the mats.

I’ve run the gym.

I’ve dealt with the matchmaking, coaching, events, fighters, personalities and organised chaos that comes with it.

That experience is a huge part of why we’re building iFight the way we are.

Built from inside combat sports, for combat sports.

And apparently my coaching vocabulary has improved slightly since then.

Slightly.

#iFight #VoodooCombat #CombatSports #MartialArts #BJJ #NoGi #Grappling #MMA #Kickboxing #MartialArtsCoach #BJJCoach #CombatSportsUK #GymOwner #SportsTech #MartialArtsLife by @ifight.uk

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10 days ago