Bareknuckle MMA title fighters train at Ocoee gym
OCOEE, Fla. - Ahead of Gamebred’s Bareknuckle MMA fight on Saturday, fighters trained at Fusion X-Cel Fitness Center during an open workout on Thursday night.
If you’re unfamiliar, MMA stands for mixed martial arts.
Former Ultimate Fighting Championship Heavyweight Champion Junior Dos Santos and former Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship champ Alan Belcher will go head-to-head Saturday night at 8 for the title fight.
"Usually in MMA they use four ounce gloves, and now they're taking the gloves off," said Julien Williams.
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He is the owner of Fusion X-Cel and the head MMA coach at the facility. He says without gloves, "You get cut a lot more."
He says, "Bone to skin is what cuts, so it's a lot more bloody."
The training that goes into these fights requires anaerobic workouts, because the fights are short and intense rounds.
"It’s definitely one of the most violent sports on Earth for sure, and your time frame is short," Williams said.
When it comes to training, fighters are ready to push themselves to the brink.
"You have to push yourself to complete exhaustion every time because that's what a fight feels like,"
Tickets for Saturday’s fight are on sale here.