Dad felt “close to death” before his life changed forever

A father knew what he had to do to make his dream come true after he set foot in the gym.

Dean Garnett, 35, from Allerton, underwent a brutal weight loss program in 2017. Aged 28 at the time, he had to lose 7kg (15lb) – 10% of his weight physical – in just 19 hours to make the latest discount. MMA fight.

Speaking to the BBC at the time, Dean said the trial left him feeling “not far from death”. Dean went without food or drink for several hours and focused on a series of sauna sessions and hot baths to force every ounce of moisture out of his body to ensure he lost as much weight as possible.

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Looking ahead to his next fight on Saturday, which could be the first step towards winning $100,000 later this year, Dean told the ECHO how he learned from that experience.

Dean said: “This particular weight class was the worst I’ve ever done. I’m about to do one this week Thursday night so hopefully it doesn’t look as bad as that one.”

Dean said it’s always hard to lose weight before a fight, but “it’s just a necessary evil” to improve your chances of winning. He added: “I’m always learning. I have done over 20 odd weight cuts now. They generally get better every time.”

Dean became interested in MMA as a child, but it took him a while to participate in the sport himself. He said: “I started watching Bravo when I was 12 years old, watching people like Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell, but it wasn’t another seven years until I finally Googled it to see where there was a gym. local sports I could go to.

“I definitely wanted to be able to do what the guys were doing on TV 100 percent.”

It wasn’t just fighting that interested Dean when he started at the gym. He said: “On my first day of training, I said, I want to be a fighter. And on the second day of practice, I said, I’d like to be a coach.

“I came to university to study a degree in coaching development at John Moores, so coaching is something I take very seriously. And it also helped me develop as an athlete.

Dean now runs a full academy and BTEC program at Aspire Combat Sports Academy in Stoneycroft, which he founded with fellow trainer Phil Tuner. He said: “It allows me to engage young people in a really powerful and meaningful way, also using MMA as a vehicle.

“We just saw how big the sport is going to be. I felt like it was going to explode and it still hasn’t yet. It’s still early days. And, you know, look at the amazing scene we have in Liverpool right now, it’s a mecca in Europe in my opinion.”

Dean is feeling confident about his fight this weekend against Belgium’s Ayton De Paepe, part of PFL Europe, Europe’s biggest MMA league. Under the PFL Europe format, Dean competes in the bantamweight season to fight at the PFL Europe Finals in December in Lyon for a chance to win $100,000.

They also compete for the opportunity to fight in the PFL European Championship and the PFL Global season.

Dean said: “It’s the best condition I’ve ever felt. Psychologically, I’m the best version of myself because I have all this wisdom that I didn’t have when I fought back when I was 29.”

Dean claims he’s motivated to win big for his family, including his wife Emma and children Gaia and Xander, and finish his fighting career on a high. He said: “I think the PFL European Tour and everything that comes with it, the financial reward, is probably the biggest opportunity I could have now.

“There’s no promotion in the world where I can go do three fights and make this amount of money, so that’s important to me as a family man as well.

“I am very excited about all the opportunities that are now in front of me. It’s up to me to take them. Money is a good incentive, but today, having been in this game for 17 years, I want to get something.

“I want to do something meaningful with it. So that’s the biggest motivator first. I still feel like I have time. Who knows what I can do in the next three, four years before I wrap it up.”

“I’m proud of what I’ve done so far. I recently got my black belt. I have my degree, you know, my academy, I’ve trained young fighters up to the UFC. I feel like I’ve done some important things in this sport.

“I am very proud of what the last 17 years have led to for me. But like I said, there is still a lot to do. I don’t want to rest on my laurels just yet.”

MMA fans can watch PFL Europe Newcastle at Utilita Arena on June 8 from 5pm on DAZN or buy tickets available on Ticketmaster.

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