Martin Stapleton confident for upcoming cage fight

Photo: Journeaux

Martin Stapleton

Martin Stapleton, Rochdale's professional cage fighter,  is confident that he will win his next fight against Derek Campos on 8 November at Winstar World Casino, Oklahoma, USA.

Martin lost on his Bellator MMA debut, in Portland, USA six weeks ago, after uncharacteristically fighting Saad Awad with his heart not his head, and vowed to his thousands of fans that he would come back stronger.

Martin said: “I am glad I have got back into it so quickly.”

Martin currently holds a professional record of 12 wins and two losses. Four of his wins have come from knock out, three by submission and five by decision.

Campos currently holds a professional record of 12 wins and three losses.

To prepare for the fight, Martin has undertaken a strict and rigorous training schedule, including skill training, boxing and conditioning training.

Martin added: “This is the toughest sport in the world so you have to be in the best physical condition possible.”

On losing to Saad Awad, his first defeat in four years, Martin says knows where he went wrong. He said: “I know exactly where I went wrong. I rushed into the fight and didn’t fight the way I should have done. All of my training went out of the window.”

Martin added: “I don’t think it is about turning it around. This is a learning curve and I have certainly learnt from the fight and feel confident about the next one.”

Martin, a former Royal Marines Commando who was the 2012 Cage Contender Fight Stars eight man tournament winner and was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter: United States v United Kingdom, will be flying out to the USA today (Tuesday 5 November). He said: “I am ready for the fight.”