An amateur mixed martial artist (MMA) from Salford is remaining optimistic despite his recent defeat.
Randy Mboyo, 27, who grew up in Higher Broughton, Salford, made the switch last year from professional muay thai fighting to MMA in an attempt to further his fighting career.
Speaking to SalfordNow last year, the Congo-born fighter highlighted that he was aiming to turn professional in MMA by the end of 2020, with hopefully five fights and five wins along the way.
An injured hand meant his first fight of 2020 came last month, and unfortunately it was not the result the mixed martial artist was looking for.
Mr. Mboyo lost on points to his opponent at the UK Fighting Championships at the end of February, in what he described as a ‘close fight’.
The 27-year-old said: “I think I took it too easy in the first round, I should of put the pace on him straight away.
“I felt like I was holding back a bit, I could of finished him.”
With seven years of Muay Thai fighting, including eight professional bouts, Mr. Mboyo revealed last time he spoke to SalfordNow that he was not worried about his stand-up capability, but that his groundwork and wrestling needed improvement.
The fighter stressed the importance of mental preparation before a fight but admitted that last time round he was focusing too much on his opponent.
“Mentally, I try not to overthink, I try to remain mentally calm and relaxed.
“But I had in my mind that the guy was a wrestler, so I thought if I opened up a bit he would take me down.”
However, the 27-year-old added that after the fight, his coach spoke to him and highlighted that there were numerous chances in the fight where Mr. Mboyo could have utilised submissions.
“My coach said I had a few chances to get the armbar and the triangle.
“So when I got back into the gym I was practising armbars, triangles, transitions and different kinds of submissions from the back.”
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But with the Covid-19 outbreak that has forced the UK into isolation, Mr. Mboyo has been unable to get into his gym at One MMA Academy, in Swinton, so he has been doing his best to keep fit at home.
“I’ve just been doing home workouts. I’m limited really, but I’ve been using bands, my body weight and circuits.
“I’ve not been going on runs as I don’t want to risk it”.
Mr. Mboyo, who has lived in Salford for 20 years, speaks highly of his coaching team at One MMA.
“I’m very happy with my coaching team. I’ve got Pietro Menga, top striker and top fighter, and Dre Dean, James Williams, and Sheldon Ryan who are top coaches in my corner”.
And being surrounded by professional fighters such as Pietro Menga and James Williams, has motivated Mr. Mboyo even more to achieve his goal of becoming pro.
“They’re making me push more and push harder. It’s good to be surrounded by people who are better than me because then I can learn”.
With the fighter unable to train or compete until the lockdown is lifted, Mr. Mboyo believes his aim to become professional will likely have to be pushed back to 2021 but is taking the positives from the situation.
“I’ll just work on training as soon as I can get back into the gym.
“I’m hoping to try and get some sponsors to help me proceed as a fighter, getting a few on the board will be a goal for this year”.
For anyone who is interested in sponsoring the MMA fighter, you can find Randy Mboyo on Instagram, where you can also follow his progress.
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