MMA is brought into people's lives in many different ways, but for 22-year-old Lewis McGrillen it came when a friend gave him a copy of the UFC video game as a teenager.
McGrillen is one of the hottest prospects coming out of the UK with all six of his professional wins coming by knockout. The hard-hitting Mancunian makes his PFL Europe debut on Saturday as he faces Salih Kulacan at the Vertu Motors Arena in Newcastle. McGrillen made his amateur debut just weeks before his 17th birthday and put together an impressive 7-1 record before turning professional two years ago.
'The McGrizzla' revealed how he was introduced to MMA in a chat with Mirror Fighting , as he said: "I started off with football as your average Manchester lad, but in my estate it was either you're really good at fighting or really good at footy. It goes two ways and in I wanted it to be both because I was pretty good with my fists. One day I went round to my mate's house and I swapped my Fight Night Champion with his UFC Undisputed 3 game then I just fell in love with MMA."
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McGrillen admitted to being fuelled with anger as a teenager, something he eventually dealt with by training MMA. With the likes of PFL champion Brendan Loughnane and UFC star Lerone Murphy being alongside him on the mats at Manchester Top Team, McGrillen turned his hobby into a career but admitted that his loved ones were too keen on the idea at first.
"My parents didn't really support it, not many people did," McGrillen added. "My mum used to say 'Get a job' and I was like 'This is my job'. I had so many dramas with my parents, I got kicked out and had nowhere to stay at times. I was staying at my coaches, mates and grandma's house, just trying to chase that dream. I believed in myself before anyone ever did, besides my coach. Now my family see where I'm heading and they are proud of me."
McGrillen admitted he wasn't "very good" at MMA when first taking up the sport as a teenager, but his willingness to improve has landed him in the position he finds himself in today. The 22-year-old is setting the bar high for his fighting career, something he feels is necessary to achieve success in the cage.
"I want to be the greatest Manchester fighter there's ever been, maybe the greatest British fighter there's ever been, or just the greatest fighter ever," he added. "You've got to think so high like the sky's the limit that even you're like 'That's a bit too much'. I'm just taking my job one task at a time, I focus more on the journey than the destination but I know what the destination is. I'll deal with this guy on Saturday then move onto greater things."
