SWINDON MMA fighter Adam Evans has proved to be a real knockout by getting his hands on the Fusion Fighting Championship bantamweight title.

Evans defeated rival Dylan Edwards via a technical knockout in the first round of their battle at a recent show at Epsom Downs racecourse.

The victory caps Evans’ reputation as something of a late bloomer in MMA. The 44-year-old has been competing in the sport for four years and has won eight of his professional bouts.

“I have never felt so proud, bringing the belt home and sharing it with my family,” said Evans, who has a background in martial arts and gave up his job as a courier to become a professional fighter.

“It’s something I will cherish for the rest of my life. I felt incredible – the hard work had finally paid off.

“I had a game plan and stuck to it. My opponent was predominantly a boxer, so the strategy was to get him comfortable on his feet and then surprise him with a take down.”

As well as having to get past an opponent hell bent on knocking seven bells out of him, Evans has other personal difficulties to overcome.

Evans has been profoundly deaf since he was 16-months-old, although that does not hold him back in the ring.

“It doesn’t affect me at all. In MMA there is a lot of visualisation in training and my coaches are excellent at communicating with me,” said Evans.

“I am lucky to have incredible support from my two coaches and their training partners at Swindon Martial Arts & Fitness, under Jason O’Grady, and VT Jiu Jitsu under Leigh Remedios in Chippenham.

“I also had great support from Sam Carlton, a boxer who helped me with my strength training and hill sprints, and from Christopher Smith as my running partner.

“In fights I hear nothing. I was told the fans screamed, which I couldn’t hear, so I bought red glow sticks for them for my title fight.

“It was incredible to see 500 bright red glow sticks waving during my walk in. It boosted my morale and I knew it would be my night.”

Having got his hands on his cherished title, Evans does not plan to put his body through the wringer for a while, although he is not sure if now is the right time to step away from the ring for good.

“I don’t want to think about the next fight for the next six to 12 months. I don’t want to say that l’m retired for good but I am 44,” said Evans.

“At the moment my body says enough of the training camps and I’m in need of some proper R&R to recover mentally, physically and emotionally before I can decide anything.

“I still enjoy doing jiu-jitsu, boxing sessions, gym and light cardio workouts as part of my hobbies and helping the boys and girls for their incoming fights, and I’d like to think I can stay champion until I turn 70.

“I’d like to thank my sponsors Absolute Rubbish and Scorpion Builder, who covered my expenses and promoted my fights.

“Most importantly, I want to thank my wife and kids – they’ve supported me from the beginning and I really appreciate them for putting up with a dad that trains all the time.”