The rise of Irish MMA

Name: Mark Leonard

Gym: Point Blank Submissions (Galway)

MMA is regarded as the fastest growing sport in the world. Having gathered mainstream acceptance in the US and Asia, it is now carried on TV globally. It’s harder to gauge popularity in Ireland as MMA has not yet broken into the mainstream media as yet. However, one person who knows exactly how popular MMA is in Ireland is Mark Leonard.

As a fighter, promoter, trainer and creator of MMA League he’s probably one of the most qualified to comment on the progress the sport has made in Ireland so far.

At the relatively young age of 33, Leonard has a pro fight record of three wins and two losses (and an amateur record of 4-1), is co-head trainer at his gym, Point Blank Submissions in Galway, has promoted shows under his Tribal Warfare banner since 2008 and runs the a national amateur MMA League. What’s most impressive about Leonard’s resume is that it’s all done alongside a 60-hour working week as a software engineer at IBM in Galway.

An MMA League bout gets underway

Leonard’s route to MMA was via a number of different martial arts. He began training in Tae Kwon Do (TKD) in 1994 reaching third dan black belt. In 2002, while working as a doorman to bank roll his college degree, Leonard began to question how practical his TKD skills would be should trouble ever erupt at the door. In TKD competitions kicks score more points than punches and as a result TKD fighters may favour the “flash” over what is truly functional. Leonard figured he had an impressive array of skills that may not translate well to a real situation is his role as a doorman when wearing an overcoat, surrounded by a crowd at close quarters. This led Leonard to contact John Kavanagh and he began training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ).

Leonard embraced BJJ and believed he’d found a truly practical fighting system. At a 2002 seminar hosted by MMA legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogeuira, a training partner of Leonard’s took the offer to fight on an upcoming local MMA show. After seeing his mate fare out OK, Leonard thought he'd give it a try and his 10 fight MMA career was launched.

In his second pro fight Leonard lost to a much more experienced Finnish opponent. He realised that Irish MMA needed one more rung on the ladder between gym and the ring at a live show so Irish fighters had a chance to develop their fight skills properly. It was this early experience, or inexperience, that prompted Leonard to start the MMA League. Created in 2004 the MMA League allows amateur fighters to build experience and test their skills without the daunting prospect of fighting in front of hundreds of people.

In its debut year, the MMA League held three events in Galway, Cork and Dublin attracting 30-40 fighters at each event. To put this in context the original Ultimate Finale between Griffin and Bonnar was still over a year away and outside of Japan MMA was still struggling for a foothold.

To launch a national MMA movement in Ireland took incredible foresight and events took place in Antrim, Galway, Dublin, Limerick, Cork and Kilkenny. Numbers regularly increased in a reflection of the growing popularity of MMA at a grass roots level.

You ask any secondary school or college kid what the UFC is and they’ll know.

Following the rise in popularity of the UFC, MMA in Ireland benefited from the ripple effect and albeit with a lag, MMA clubs and events have begun to spring up all over Ireland. Leonard believes that while it hasn’t reached the main stream media in Ireland, it has reached a high penetration in society.

“You ask any secondary school or college kid what the UFC is and they’ll know,” says Leonard. It’s not just interest in the sport that is increasing. Leonard has noticed the difference in knowledge of fans who attended Cage Wars, Galway’s first MMA event in 2002, versus the submission savvy crowd at his Tribal Warfare events that started in 2008.

If there was a threat to the development of MMA in Ireland Leonard believes things may be moving too fast. Prior to the explosion of MMA in Ireland, Leonard found fighters spending maybe a year in the MMA Leagues rookie division, then a year in the veteran division before progressing onto a MMA show proper with a solid fighting base. Now with the abundance clubs and shows, some fighters are being fast tracked to the ring, which can see a potential career end if the debut fight results in a discouraging loss. It may seem like a contradiction that someone who has packs so much into their life so far is asking for patience. But then again Mark Leonard probably understands the MMA game in Ireland better than most.

For further information on the MMA League check out www.mmaleague.com or drop by to the next event Saturday, 20 November at St. Andrews, Booterstown Ave, Blackrock, Dublin. Event starts at 11 am sharp.

Fergus Ryan