THUNDER BAY – Ontario has finally moved to allow mixed martial arts fighting in the province. The move came after a long effort to get the sport sanctioned in the province.
Thunder Bay has a growing MMA fight base. Mike O’Neill is an MMA fighter with a 2-0-0 record as an amateur fighter. This up and coming MMA fighter will be fighting for Cage Fighting Manitoba on January 7th in their light-weight division at 155 pounds.
“I’m from Thunder Bay Ontario and proud of it. I train out of Fight Centre in Progressive Martial Arts,” states O’Neil. “I have been training in MMA for about two and a half years now”.
“My speciality is Wrestling and will be looking to pull off my first pro win with ground and pound,” comments O’Neil.
“I’m a husband and father of two beautiful little girls. They are most important people in my life. They are my motivation to train hard and to come back home with the win”.
The task of being an MMA fighter in Northwestern Ontario is one that doesn’t come easy.
“I’m proud to be sponsored by the Urban Boutique. Angelo Petta has been a huge help for me with getting publicity, and helping me out with other costs that go with fighting MMA – not to mention making me shirts and selling them to help me out financially so I can focus more on training”.
“I’m looking forward to this fight like no other before it, it’ll be my first pro fight and the first time I’ll be fighting in a cage. I have previously only fought in a ring, which I didn’t care for. It adds more things to worry about like falling out through the ropes,” shares O’Neil.
“I have competed in lots of other sports before like hockey wrestling and power lifting but nothing gives me a bigger adrenaline rush, or more satisfaction then a MMA fight! The highs are Very high and the lows are even lower. Luckily I have not felt the low end yet and don’t plan to in the near future”.
”In the last few years MMA has really blown up, especially in Thunder Bay and I hope to get my piece of the pie with this fight and keep it going into my future. I hope to see the Thunder Bay residents and MMA fans alike give all their support to not just me but all the local fighters we have in our great town”.
If you’d like to purchase a shirt to help support me in my fight you can pick up your shirt at The Urban Boutique on 1096 Memorial Ave.
