The first thing you need to know about Sydney is, his name isn’t Trev. You’d be mistaken for thinking so; I’ve been calling him it since I joined the gym in September. Everybody does. He stands at a towering 6’7”, he idolises Israel Adesanya, and he practically lives in the gym. I sat down with the recipient of last year’s Dieseler Of The Year award during his preparation for the IMMAF World Championships in Serbia, to discuss the EMMAA, IMMAF, and all things Diesel.
Q: I’ve got to get this one out of the way. Why Trev?
A: It’s from Kidulthood, the film. My mum used to get confused when my friends would ask if Trev was home!
Q: When did you join Diesel?
A: I remember the exact date! I joined on 24th May 2021.
Q: Why are you still here?
A: Diesel’s a massive family. Being in an environment like that makes you so much better, without even realising. You want to be there every day. I got here at 8:30 this morning, I’m not leaving until 8:30 this evening, but it doesn’t feel like I’ve been here for twelve hours, you know what I mean? I can tell that the people around me really believe in me. The time they put in to me, the fact they’ve given me a job. It’s not a normal gym. They put their money where their mouth is; they support me. They care.
Q: What’s your current fight record?
A: I’m currently 3-1 in MMA, 0-0-1 in Muay Thai, and I’ve competed in two BJJ comps, coming first and third.
Q: How did you find out about the IMMAF?
A: I saw Muhammad Mokaev (current UFC flyweight) talk about these competitions. IMMAF this, IMMAF that. “What the fuck is IMMAF?” I thought. Turns out it’s The Olympics of MMA. I wanna be at that.
Q: How did you apply?
A: I did some research and found the EMMAA (English Mixed Martial Arts) online application, but nobody got back to me. Then they started shadowing shows, they were shadowing Fight Star Championships. So when I got the win there – I got the D’arce choke – I said to myself, “this is my moment.” So I went to the camera and started screaming a load of shit, England this and England that. To be fair, I don’t even think they saw it!” After the fight, I reapplied and was accepted within weeks.
Q: What’s the selection process like?
A: I went to Birmingham and Nottingham for sparring and training; we did kickboxing rounds, MMA rounds, grappling and cage wrestling. Hard rounds! With each trip the group would get smaller, until it was confirmed that the remaining competitors were in the squad.
Q: Who coaches Team England?
A: Paul Kelly and Vaughan Lee were always there. Then there’s Paul Rimmer, Molly McCann (both of Next Generation MMA), and Jimmy ‘Judo’ Wallhead (current Cage Warriors welterweight champion).
Q: Are there any differences in the way IMMAF approach the sport, compared to professional promotions like the UFC?
A: Athletes might have to fight up to five times in a single week, making weight every day and trying to limit damage. It favours wrestling. Refs aren’t quick to you stand up, because it’s safe for the fight to continue on the ground. If you’re getting hit with a few good shots in a ground and pound situation, they’re stopping it.
Q: So it’s a little like Olympic boxing? Favouring clean strikes, good defence and technique over damage and knockouts?
A: Exactly. The next stage is to make it an Olympic sport, right? Olympic recognition brings funding, there’s none of that for the IMMAF. So you’ve got to make it more viewer-friendly, they don’t want as much blood and gore, it’s more about technique and skillset.
Q: You mentioned funding, how are you funding this trip?
A: The athletes have to fund themselves, so I’ve set up a Go Fund Me and appealed for sponsors. EMMAA are in talks with Sport England, but we don’t have any backing yet. We’ve been advised to raise around £2000, which covers flights, medicals, registration fees, kit, hotel and travel.
Q: The IMMAF World Championships is an amateur-only event. Do professionals ever compete?
A: We’ve actually been advised to go through our division and look to see if competitors have fought professionally. It’s happened in the past, pro fighters will be removed if they’re found out.
Q: What’s your plan for the rest of 2023?
A: I want to do a lot of kickboxing, Muay Thai, maybe even boxing. And some BJJ comps. Then I’ll return to MMA later in the year. Every time I think about MMA, I think it’s a waste of time just trying to be an all round MMA fighter. I’d rather be a specialist in my field, and my field is striking. To develop that – that specialist skillset – I don’t think I can do it by just competing in MMA. If I want to develop my striking, I need to compete against the best strikers, and then take that experience over to MMA.
Q: You say that your specialist field is striking. How would you describe your fighting style?
A: My style? I wouldn’t call it Muay Thai. I train Muay Thai, but that’s not what I do in the cage. I can’t call it boxing. I take the best out of everything, and try to make it my own. My style is still developing, I’m working on this and I don’t know what to call it yet. It’s a work in progress.
Q: Is competing in the UFC the end goal?
A: No, I think the game’s changed. Maybe ten years ago, but being in UFC isn’t the only way to make a living in MMA anymore. We’ve got guys here fighting in PFL and KSW, and they’re making good money. You’ve got ONE Championship, Oktagon. You could argue that UFC is the only place where you can make a big name of yourself, but that’s not the truth. Look at Venom Page at Bellator!
Q: You’ve just got back from running 400m sprints on your own. How do you find the motivation to put the work in when it’s just you here?
A: You have to be on your own case. Regardless of how much everyone wants you to do well, it’s only you getting into that cage. They can set out the training, but it’s my responsibility to put it into action, even when they’re not looking.
Q: How have the coaches at Diesel helped you prepare for the World Championships?
A: Arnas is a genius, make sure you write that. People might see Arnas and think, “Muay Thai coach,” but he’s so much more than that. If I’m preparing for an MMA fight, he’s immediately changing my stance, adding sprawls to my footwork drills. Everything he does adapts to what I’m competing in. We’ve got killers everywhere. We’ve got the whole 10th Planet team, full of killers. We’ve got the Muay Thai team full of killers. The MMA team, full of killers. That’s an amazing thing about Diesel, we’ve got specialists in every aspect.
Q: What do you enjoy outside of the gym?
A: Chess. I love chess. I play every day, I play with Elijah… you see how it comes back to the gym? I think the whole social aspect is burnt out for me.
Q: What are you eating after a week of cutting weight at the Worlds?
A: Burgers, burgers, burgers. I love burgers. Burgers, Caribbean food, jerk chicken, jerk pork, all of that. But I love burgers. Pizza, cheese, CHEESE. I’m a cheese addict.
Q: I was going to ask who your dream opponent would be, but you’re going to say Adesanya, aren’t you?
A: I am going to say Adesanya. I am.
Q: Final question. Which other Diesel fighters should people be looking out for?
A: My favourite person to watch fight is Lilya. Eli is crazy, he hits like a monster truck. Shirzad the crazy wrestler as well. Watch out for everyone, man. We’ve got killers everywhere.
The IMMAF World Championships start on 11th February, lasting seven days. There are six weight classes for female competitors (atomweight to lightweight) and ten for male competitors (strawweight to super heavyweight). Any country can compete, and countries in the top 32 of the IMMAF rankings can enter two competitors per weight class. If you wish to support Sydney on his journey, you can make a donation on his Go Fund Me page HERE.
