Mike Wilkinson - Warrior Blog....

Hey Everyone! Since I got the call from my management about my fight with Niklas Backstrom at the UFC Fight Night in Stockholm I couldn't have been more excited. 2014 had been a tough year up until that point indeed the last twelve months generally had just been a succession of set backs, missing out on fighting in my home town of Manchester at UFC Fight Night 30 back in October 2013 due to injury and then once again working through it day in day out to be in a position to walk back in to the Octagon. This time though my training couldn't of gone any better for the fight. I had the best people around me and was so excited to get in there and show the world what I'm made of. After coming of a loss and being out with injury for over a year I knew I had to win in fashion, Niklas Backstrom had talked a lot off shit in his interviews before the fight saying I was coming over to lose and I would need to put on a super human performance to win. I prefer to talk in the cage not in front of the cameras but my reply was I will put on a super human performance because that is all we do at Atherton Submission Wrestling! We’re animals lol and are lucky to have the best coach in the UK, Darren Morris who doesn't get nearly enough credit for his work. Keep talking Niklas....I’ll keep training! ASW; What the papers say.... As a fighter working in the worlds top MMA organisation it’s frustrating to read things on the internet or in magazines from keyboard warriors about who’s who or what gym is best, frankly I don't give a shit what all these uk rankings say about fighters and the gyms they train in, about where we they stand, they don't mean anything! At ASW we have got some of the best fighters and best coaches in the country so if we're not at the top then don't put us in at all! All the proof is in our wins; feel free to go and check them out. Since I won I've had so much support its overwhelming, so to everyone who betted on me to win and sent me kind messages I thank you so much; you don't realise how much it means to me to know after such a tough year that I still had the support if the UK MMA Public! So what’s next for Mike “The Warrior” Wilkinson? Well I fly to Australia soon mixing some training in with my friend and TUF Smashes coach Ross Pearson along with Richie Vas before they fight in Sydney November 7th and get a little holiday at the same time after that it will be back to Unit 7 and ASW to train hard and see what the UFC offer me next on my climb up the divisions ladder. The Back Room Staff..... With the glitz and glamour, media hype and general roadshow of the worlds biggest MMA organisation the Ultimate Fighting Championship its not always easy to give the credit to the people making it possible in the background so I just want to say a big thank you to Daren Morris, Jack Mountford and Chris Hoban; I walked into the gym 6 years ago and these three guys have made me the fighter I am today. Also all the lads down ASW/unit7gym, Rob Lloyd at Elite MMA, Daz Morris and his lads at Sandy Holts gym, Barry Edwards at Extreme Strength and Conditioning, Paradigm Management, REVGEAR (Best gloves in the business!), Smuggling Duds, Sandee, X-met metals,Unit7gym, my mum & dad for their belief and support in me (love em to bits) my mates Craig Cully, Darren Jackson Joshy Hurst for travelling to Sweden, oh and James Leake (Cog) ;) Last but by no means least to Alex Wright and Fightstorepro.com who since meeting in 2013 have really supported me through hard times and believed in me when no one else stepped up; These guys are for real and not only participate in the sport we all love but truly believe in backing fighters through thick and thin. Please support them too! So signing out and headed down under; Look forward to letting you know how the training trip went! Mike Wilkinson