BRAKPAN – Soldier Boy, Garreth McLellan is ready to come out with his Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) guns blazing when he battles Jeremy ‘Pitbull’ Smith at EFC AFRICA 24 to reclaim his middleweight Championship title on Thursday October 10 at the Big Top Carnival City.
Heading back into the Hexagon, McLellan is a seasoned athlete who has been working with a team of fitness professionals and specialist coaches to make sure that he is fully prepared to put on the best possible display for his legions of fans.
“My team has been working with EFC Africa to set up this encounter for a while now, and despite the various obstacles that we’ve had to overcome, I’m looking forward to the opportunity to win back the belt and the title,” McLellan said. “I lost the title to Smith in 2012 in a titanic battle that ended my undefeated streak, but I’ve invested my body, mind and soul in getting it back.”
EFC Africa is the biggest MMA tournament in Africa, with more than 100 of the continent’s toughest athletes from South Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, Nigeria and Egypt, among others, showcasing their multidisciplinary skills in eight events per year, each of which gives fans at least twelve explosive bouts of action.
With his principal fight disciplines being kickboxing and jujitsu, McLellan is one of the first athletes to turn professional in this sport in South Africa, and supports his fight training with cardio fitness, strength training, Pilates, and swimming to make sure that his body is a finely tuned, supremely strong battle machine.
He took up MMA after a career in rugby in KwaZulu-Natal, turning professional in 2008, and started competing in EFC Africa events in 2009. He quickly built a reputation for being a determined and dedicated fighter in the Hexagon, while being a true gentleman outside of it, earning the respect of opponents and fans alike. He competes in the middleweight category, which is for contenders in the 77 to 84kg range.
“I am a professional athlete, and every minute I spend training is an investment in my future success,” said McLellan. “My commitment to this sport is absolute, and I make every physical and mental effort to make sure that I am at the top of my game.”
