MILDURA Mixed Martial Arts fighter John Loughhead feels confident and motivate after bringing home bronze from the recent GAMMA Oceania titles in Auckland.
Loughhead had an impressive start to the tournament, defeating a 10-1 former four-time kickboxing champion by unanimous decision, securing takedowns in every round.
In the semi-finals match, Loughhead was again putting on a strong performance against a bigger opponent before breaking his hand and ultimately losing to strikes.
“It was a very good back and forth, we had a lot of respect for each other, it was a really good fight,” he said.
“I unfortunately got a Bennett fracture so there is a little floating chunk around the joint where the bone broke and I’ll need surgery and will be out for 6-8 weeks.
“Despite that I felt like I did well with guys with high-level experience, I surprised myself with how well it went.”
Loughhead said he enjoyed the experience fighting overseas for the first time.
“I took a lot away from it which will come in handy in future fights, I am really looking forward to fighting again and it gave me a lot of confidence following my loss three weeks back,” he said.
“I had a ball and felt really good in the ring.”
It was also the first time Loughhead had fought MMA in a roped ring, which posed a whole new set of challenges.
“In my second fight I actually did a hip throw and landed on top of him and his legs went out the ring, they just stood us up in the middle which was frustrating and that’s when I broke my hand. It was definitely a different experience being in the ring.”
When asked about improvements for his next fight, Loughhead laughed and suggested not breaking his hand.
“I still plan on going to a lighter weight this was at 70.3kg and I usually fight at 66kg,” he said.
“Facing high-level guys made me understand I am fighting at a high level and I can go toe to toe with some badasses and use my skills.
“I am just looking forward to fighting again and it gave me motivation to keep fighting, get as much experience as I can and go pro when I get the chance.”
Coach and owner of Mildura Martial Arts Mick Moloney said he was incredibly proud of his fighters.
“I’m proud as punch of how the boys performed at such a high-level competition. You don’t just travel from one country to another thinking you are going to do alright it isn’t a little local competition this is the highest level in Oceania,” he said.
“The boys stepped up and represented Australia and Mildura to the highest level and I’m proud as.”
Loughhead thanked his team for their support with special mention of coach Moloney, a fellow fighter who also competed in Auckland, Ayden Russell and teammates Jesse Medina, Lewis Florez and Hussain Ibrahimi.
