imi “Posterboy” Manuwa and John “The Hitman” Hathaway go to The British Army Combat Sports Centre to teach Combat Grappling.
London, 6th September - Jimi “Posterboy” Manuwa and John “The Hitman” Hathaway were invited to The British Army’s Combat Sports Centre in Aldershot yesterday, to teach a Combat Grappling seminar with a group of 30 soldiers.
Although the Combat Grappling class is a fairly new discipline within the Armed Forces, there has been a great demand for it from the soldiers. “So many of the guys, including myself, are huge UFC fans, we can appreciate the kind of dedication and training that is involved” said SSgt Lloyd Lovejoy, “a lot of the soldiers already train in Mixed Martial Arts in their own clubs so know a thing or two, but to have John and Jimi down today has been a real treat.”
The seminar was divided into two parts: firstly, Hathaway demonstrated a few takedowns including a single leg takedown and omaplata, before moving onto some defences for takedowns such as a grip break and runaway, whilst the second saw undefeated Manuwa lead the soldiers through some striking moves.
“There has been a lot of talent amongst the soldiers today, these guys are obviously at a peak physical level, so they definitely put me through my paces as well,” remarked Manuwa.
Hathaway added “It’s been a real pleasure to come and teach the seminar today, I’d love to come back and take a few more classes once my fight on the 29th September is over, I can definitely see a lot of potential in some of the guys.”
SSgt Lloyd Lovejoy, who will be attending UFC: Struve vs Miocic, said “Having followed their careers and met them both today, I can’t wait to see both John and Jimi fight on the 29th, I know a lot of soldiers will be supporting them both.”
The UFC will be returning to the UK on 29th September at the Capital FM Arena in Nottingham. Tickets are available from www.ticketmaster.co.uk , www.ufc.com and The Capital FM Arena box office.
