WATCH: Martin de Beer – Ballito’s diamond in the cage
De Beer has started the year on a strong foot as he gears up for many more exciting battles in the cage.
He works his way around the cage, carefully planning his every move before executing them with perfection to deliver a powerful blow or unexpected tackle.
Mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Martin ‘The Diamond’ de Beer has started the year on a strong foot as he gears up for many more exciting battles in the cage.
When the fighting bug bit at age 13, the current EFC flyweight and bantamweight fighter joined his brother at kickboxing and Mauy Thai, as he thought it would be a good form of fitness training for rugby.
“During my kickboxing days I used to love throwing over hand rights,” said de Beer, who then moved on to MMA when he was 21.
“When I started competing, that’s when I got hooked.” After moving to Ballito a few years ago, he joined KO Fighting Fitness where he is coached by Rodney van der Vlugt.
Dedicated to his training, Martin, who’s nickname ‘The Diamond’ was given to him after his third EFC victory, is a talented grappler who his known for his flexibility which is useful when getting out of tricky situations in the cage.
He has competed in 13 EFC fights but one of his most memorable ones was taking on his idol Abdul Hassan.
“He was one of my favourite fighters growing up, and then I got to face him. I lost the fight but went all three rounds,” said de Beer, who makes it his mission to always finish his fights.
“The thing I love most about MMA is that rush to fight and to see if my skills are better than my opponent’s.”
Martin’s recent achievement was receiving his blue belt through the Carlson Gracie SA Jiu Jitsu academy.
Currently planning his next fight, he will be back in the cage either in Pretoria or Cape Town in the coming months, giving him plenty of time to prepare and improve on his already impressive skills.
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