Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) alumni Ronnie ‘the Heat’ Lawrence says improved funding and facilities are required if the embryonic Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) scene is to develop locally and produce quality combatants.
The Tennessee native, who competes in the bantamweight division of the largest MMA promotion company, is currently on local shores on vacation.
He spoke to Stabroek News during a brief interview to discuss the emerging MMA scene, which is being spearheaded by the Guyana Mixed Martial Arts Federation (GMMAF) under the stewardship of president Gavin Singh and senior instructor Bruce Fraser.
According to Lawrence, “I feel with better funding through the recruitment of sponsors and/or donors and government intervention, it would aid tremendously in the growth of the sport locally because coaches need to be paid, more facilities with necessary amenities are needed for fighters to train and grow in the sport. Maintenance and upkeep costs money and funding for fighters when they travel to compete is required,” he declared.
“Community outreaches for recruiting more students of the sport and having coaches brought from other countries like Brazil, for all aspects of MMA would also help. Currently, the only Guyanese fighter in the UFC trains in Brazil,” he added.
Guyana’s only recognised MMA fighter, Carlston Harris, 33, etched his name in local history following his commanding debut win in the UFC on May 8.
Harris, who trains at the Renewal Fight Team in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, submitted Christian Aguilera to a Brazilian jiu-jitsu submission move – the anaconda choke/hold – at the 2:52 mark of the first round, in the preliminary matches of the UFC card in Las Vegas. He improved his record to 16-4, 1-0 in the UFC.
Asked about his thoughts on the quality of the local MMA prospects, Lawrence conceded that while they are several prospects, much work is required to develop, improve and hone their talents due to the overall lack of infrastructure and training capabilities.
He expanded, “There is work to be done; ultimately because of the lack of funding and coaches but I see a few great potential prospects. If they had more coaches for all aspects of MMA like wrestling, Muay Thai, kickboxing, etc. Also, having more equipped dojos for students to train would improve the quality of fighters. Ultimately I would say they are at the beginner level. I have made these recommendations to president Gavin Singh and he has advised that it is already on his agenda for 2021 to be executed.”
Lawrence, who possesses a 7-1 record, with four victories emanating via (technical) knockouts, says while the quality of training locally is not at the requisite standard for his upcoming engagement, experienced judo instructor Bruce Fraser has provided quality training in that discipline.
He posited, “The quality of training isn’t to the standard for me to prepare for a fight at the UFC level, but head coach Bruce Fraser has definitely showed me some great judo for MMA that I haven’t seen before. I am very pleased.”
