Almighty FC 22: Get To Know Adam Battley

The scheduled event will kick off an active 2022 for the promotion, with eleven more shows to follow throughout the year. Almighty FC 22 will consist of eighteen fights, from exciting amateur action to professional contests.

The Almighty FC flyweight championship is up for grabs in the main event when Shajidul Haque meets Poland’s Igor Wojtas in a thrilling matchup. Before the main event, Almighty fans will be treated to a selection of professional bouts and a boatload of amateur fights from some of the UK’s rising prospects.

I had the pleasure of catching up with one fighter who makes the walk at Almighty FC 22, in Adam Battley, who meets Kayne Holmes in a featherweight contest. Adam Battley is a experienced amateur fighting of Crowning Glory MMA in Sterling, Scotland, with a record of (7-6). We spoke with Battley to present the Almighty FC audience with a background on the Scotsman before he makes the walk on January 22nd.

Get To Know Adam Battley

How did you get into mixed martial arts, and can you remember the first time you stepped into a gym and how it made you feel?

Adam Battley – “I have always been competitive and into sports from a young age. I started playing football, and as I grew older, boxing had always caught my attention and fascinated me. At 13, I would come home from school and stick on a boxset that I had with all the Mike Tyson fights on it that I would just play on repeat. At 14, I finally built up the courage to take myself to the closest boxing gym. I remember cycling to the gym and struggling to find it, showing up to Colin McNeil’s boxing class 30 minutes late. I took out a membership and attended every class after school. I stuck to the boxing classes for a couple of months until one night I saw the MMA team sparring Chris Duncan, Adam Steveson, Scott Drummond, Kier McCrimmon and others going at it in the cage, again, just like the boxing, this fascinated me. I had no idea what MMA was at the time. I had never heard of or seen any of it in my life.

“I started to attend the MMA classes, had my first fight a year later at 15, and continued to compete from there. I have a great team behind me. I also have fantastic training partners who I also consider my best mates and believe I have all the tools to excel in this sport. I fight out of Crowning Glory MMA in Stirling, Scotland, and I am 21 years old, progressing through my amateur career with lots of positives, and I hope to turn professional in the near future. I enjoy and get excited about the whole process of this sport and the endless benefits the sport can give you. I’m always improving my athleticism, confidence, mentality, and general approaches to training. I enjoy watching my improvements each fight, and that motivates me to get better every time.”

What are your main goals within MMA when you think long term?

Adam Battley – “When I think long term, I would love nothing more than to be fighting full time, signed to a prestigious promotion like the UFC. The idea of waking up every morning to head to the gym, training 2-3 times a day, being financially stable from hard work that I put in excites me.”

Outside of fighting, do you have any other hobbies? What do you like to do to switch off from the fighting lifestyle?

Adam Battley – “Outside of training/fighting, I’m always kept busy. I work full time on top of training 2-3 times a day. I also have clients that I personal train as I’m currently going through my level 3 personal training qualification. This helps switch off but keeps it relatable. It’s rare that I ever switch off from “the fighting lifestyle” the longest I’ve taken off without any training was a week and a half that I spent on holiday in Crete with my girlfriend. I don’t think I have ever gone longer than that.”

Who has been the biggest inspiration in your MMA journey thus far?

Adam Battley – “I don’t have one person in particular, but when watching some of my favourite fighters ( TJ Dillashaw, Michael Chandler, Justin Gaethje, Canelo….and so on), I try and take something from all of them. My teammates and coaches are most inspiring to me. I would say Adam Stevenson has been there and done it, a very knowledgeable man with a lot of years in the sport. Chris Duncan, who’s on the same path and making great moves, Robert Whiteford passing on great knowledge, also been at the highest level competing on the biggest stages. I have a lot of inspiring people around me, and I’m very grateful.”

What is your favourite martial art and why? Do you like the striking aspect of the game or the grappling?

Adam Battley – “I enjoy the striking and grappling aspect just as much as each other. I believe mixing them well is what makes a dangerous fighter. I mix these well but do, however, feel my striking is my strong point.”

Where do you see yourself in five-years?

Adam Battley – “In 5 years, I see myself fighting with a prestigious promotion like the UFC, training full time, fighting the best in the world.”

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Featured image credits to Adam Battley