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Ian Entwistle

UFC Bantamweight Ian Entwistle is looking to evolve the sport of mixed martial arts, with the opening of his new gym England Top Team which will hold huge implications for the future of the sport in the UK.

Aside from being a gym where Entwistle will train for his UFC title run, it will also be an MMA School of Excellence. Entwistle got this idea from before his MMA days, when he used to be a professional footballer with School of Excellence’s, which he wants to apply to MMA.

“I am currently in the process of building a brand new gym in the UK named England Top Team. I am bringing in American All-State wrestler and former Phucket Top Team head coach Eric Uresk to teach the wrestling program, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Flavio Carvalho, he came third in the National Gracie Tournament in Brazil. Also, fellow UFC fighter Vaughan Lee as a striking coach and myself as the MMA and leg lock coach.

“I am also building a kid’s academy shaped similar to a football ‘School of Excellence’ format. Talented kids will train for free and work with all the coaching staff. When they get to the age of 16 if they are good enough they will be paid a YTS salary to train as a professional fighter.”

Entwistle stated that he wanted to keep the ‘Top Team’ brand as a sign of respect to his humble beginnings in the sport, and his influential time training with both Phucket Top Team and Australian Top Team.

The leg lock submission specialist is planning on opening the gym on November 9, 2015 in his home town of Accrington, England and it will be crucial not only for the development of new talent, but also for fighters who have struggled to find a home in the sport.

“I’ve been all around the world training at really high level gyms and I know what is required to be the best gym in the world and I think I can build it. Obviously with me getting my performance bonuses, things like that, I want to build it in my own country and I want to build it in my own town. I want to give people the chance I’ve had.

“Making it in this game is hard and only the most talented make it so as a back up in case they don’t make it each YTS fighter will also get a Nutritional Sports Qualification and be trained as a Chef, as well as working towards there BJJ black belt.

“This game is a hard game, and a lot of talented guys who have either just fell a little bit short and they’ve had nothing to fall back on. I want to make sure that this is not the case that they do have something to fall back on if fighting doesn’t work out.”

It has been revealed that to start with, five places will be available for youths between the age of 16-21, and Entwistle stated they don’t necessarily need to be from an MMA background.

“I have five places available, I don’t know if I’ll give all five places away straight away, but it depends, they don’t have to be MMA fighters they can be fantastic at Thai Boxing and we feel we can give them the rest or they can just be an all round MMA fighter who’s 16 or 17, if we see something in them and think, ‘hey we can do something with this kid’.”

Those between the ages of 16-21 interested in applying for the England Top Team ‘School of Excellence’ email englandtopteam@gmail.com.

England Top Team
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