SWINDON fighter Adam Evans’ path to becoming a professional MMA fighter has certainly not been an easy one.

The 42-year-old takes on Oskar Rozwens on Swindon Fightclub’s show at the MECA on October 5, and goes into the bout undefeated from his two pro fights to date.

But that only tells half the story as Evans has been profoundly deaf since he was 16 months old, and as a result struggled to communicate with people while he was growing up which often led to him grappling with others in the street.

In a bid to gain self confidence the Rodbourne resident turned to a number of different martial arts before settling into the MMA scene, but now loves the thrill he gets from fighting in the cage.

“l was bullied at school for years so l started doing Judo and achieved a brown belt before my GCSEs, and then started kickboxing for a year before attending Bristol University in 1995,” he said.

“I used to fight in the street a lot because I was frustrated because I found it hard to communicate as I am profoundly deaf and my first and preferred language is BSL (British Sign Language).

“I love MMA because it gives me a feeling of hype and adrenalin which I find difficult to describe. I love the aggression and just want to fight because the challenge is there and the atmosphere is always magnificent.

“My fighting style is grappling and ground and pound which makes it makes it easy to smash opponents’ faces.”

Evans has promised to entertain when he takes on Rozwens in October despite admitting he knows very little about his opponent.

“Fans want entertainment and that is something I can give. They want me to put in a good performance, clever moves, tricky techniques and of course a good KO too.

“The last fight that I won was difficult in the second and third rounds because I broke my right hand in first round but managed to win at the end by unanimous decision.

“That showed I don’t give up easily because I really wanted to carry on.

“I don’t know much about my opponent and this is my biggest challenge and what motivates me to enter the cage. I have the utmost respect for opponents, always.

“I just get in there and do my business, I have no fear and love to fight and show what I am capable of.”

Evans insisted his deafness doesn’t cause him any major problems when he’s in the ring and in fact in some areas can benefit him.

“My deafness doesn't affect me in the ring but the only small negative is I am unable to hear my corner trying to shout me for escapes or submission,” he said.

“On the positive side I can concentrate on my fight, and I just use my skill to do the talking as I can focus.”

Tickets for the ‘Caged’ event are priced at £20 or £40 VIP, and can be bought from any of the fighters involved, The Khyber on Victoria Road, The Forum or www.swindontickets.co.uk.