Liverpool Fighter Hopes to Change His Life in €1 Million Tournament

From national boxing titles, sparring rounds with Amir Khan and George Groves, to the most lucrative tournament in European MMA, a Liverpool fighter has the chance to change his life starting this weekend.

(Image: Oktagon MMA)

Mick ‘The Huyton Hammer’ Stanton was set to box at the junior Olympics as a teenager. But when a lack of funding for Sport England left him unable to fight, a ‘broken hearted’ Stanton took time away from combat sports until he found a new passion in MMA.

Stanton said: “I was training with a lad who was also fighting MMA. I went down to the gym with pads and saw him doing wrestling and grappling and thought I’d love to have a go at that. I always watched the UFC on the telly and I fell in love with it.”

The Liverpool-based fighter has since won titles in Cage Warriors and Full Contact Contender, and moves on this weekend to fight in the new Tipsport Gamechanger €1million tournament for Oktagon MMA.

The tournament features 16 fighters from around the world in the middleweight division, starting this weekend at Oktagon 67 in the Czech Republic. The winner will take home €300,000 of the total €1million prize money.

When asked about the prize money, Stanton said: “I’m very blessed at this moment in time, I have my own academy in Prescot, but it’s not until this fight that I’ve been able to give this 100%. I usually work mornings, afternoons and nights. Now, I’ve been able to give my career 100% by training two or three times a day, and I’m excited to be able to show how good I am.

“It’s a massive opportunity for me, in the fact that I can give my wife and kids what I’ve always promised them. I promised my wife a long time ago that we’d get the dream house that we always wanted.”

The 38-year-old will take on Czech fighter Miloš Petrášek in the opening round on Saturday night.

Stanton said: “I love researching and looking at what my opponents do. He’s dangerous, he’s big, he’s powerful, he’s fast, but I’m confident in my gameplan.

“We both fought the same opponent, who took the fight against Miloš [Petrášek] on a week’s notice and it was a very slow and sluggish fight. I wasn’t very impressed. I took a lot away from that, I know how to attack him and how to beat him.”

Stanton made his Oktagon MMA debut in his last fight as he beat Kamil Wojciechowski by TKO in the third round.

The Scouser predicts a win in similar fashion this weekend. He said: “Third round ground-and-pound stoppage, the referee will save his life.”