The Welshman who dreams of UFC glory after becoming a MMA champion in Australia
From Swansea nightclubs to sparring Robert Whittaker and winning the Eternal middleweight title, John-Martin Fraser has never been one to shy away from a scrap
He grew up in Wales, but John-Martin Fraser now makes a living fighting on the other side of the world.
Since emigrating to Australia eight years ago, Fraser, from Swansea, has decided to go all in on making his UFC dream a reality.
Having settled on the Sunshine Coast in southern Queensland, surrounded by beach resorts, surf spots and national parks, he spends much of his time in the gym training.
It’s a far cry from the infamous nightclubs of Wind Street, where he often ended up “getting into trouble” in his youth, as he puts it.
“I always wanted to be a fighter as a little kid,” Fraser said.
“I was always getting into fights when I was younger. Not that I’d go out looking for fights but I’d always find it hard to walk away from one. So people weren’t really too surprised that I was getting into it.
“I just didn’t know it was going to be MMA. I thought it was going to be boxing. But when I came over here it became my life.
“Me and my missus, we had a few friends and family over here, so we thought we’d come over here for six months. But we ended up staying longer than we planned and we absolutely fell in love with the place. I’ll always be a Welshman at heart but I owe Australia a lot for my career.
“I thought MMA was bulls**t until I started doing it. When I started watching it I thought it was a load of s**t to be honest. I wasn’t a fan of it all until I actually started training in it myself.”
He was introduced to Brazilian jiu-jitsu by the Noke brothers, UFC veteran Kyle and his oldest sibling Nelson, who took him under their wing after a mutual friend made the connection.
“I was working for a guy at the time who had a cracking set of cauliflower ears,” Fraser said.
“I thought it was from rugby at the start but he said it was from doing MMA. I spent a few weeks at Brazilian Top Team before he introduced me to the Noke brothers. We hit it off straight away.
“It was hard but I liked that. I don’t like it when things are easy for me. I guess I like making life difficult for myself.
“They threw me in straight at the deep end. I have to thank them for that. It taught me a lot about myself.”
Now training at Ignite MMA Academy, Fraser competes under the Eternal MMA promotional banner, where he is the current middleweight champion.
The Welshman will defend his title against Ben Johnson in the main event of Eternal 83 on 16 March, which he hopes will help him catch the attention of the UFC matchmakers.
“100 per cent. I think I’m ready for that level now you know,” Fraser said.
“I think they’re going to probably want to see one or two more fights but I think I was ready for that a while ago. I think about it every day. I just need that opportunity to make a splash.
“It’s not just about getting to the UFC. I want to do well like Jack Shore and Jack Della Maddalena. I just need that opportunity.
“I’m just working towards that constantly. I try not to look past each fight. If I keep doing what I’m doing I know I’m going to get that call.
“It’s just a matter of time really. When it comes I’ll be ready. I know I’m not far away.”
Fraser considers himself a straightforward, no nonsense type of bloke, hence why he doesn’t think much of trash talk. Not that that would stop him from engaging in a bit of banter, though.
“It’s just not really me. I get it from an entertainment perspective,” Fraser said.
“I love a bit of banter, don’t get me wrong, me and my mates take the p*** out of each other f***ing rotten all the time.
“But as much as I’ll have a joke with someone leading up to a fight at the same time it’s not a joke for me. This is my job. I want to f*** people up.
“I think it’s way too glamourised these days. Conor [McGregor] did a good job of it. Now you’ve got so many people trying to be this exaggerated version of themselves when they’re not actually like that.
“People can see through the bulls***. They’re better off being themselves. Otherwise it comes across as fake.”
Turns out he doesn’t think much of fighter nicknames, either.
“No, I don’t like them. I actually don’t mind some people’s,” Fraser said.
“But I think 80 per cent of them are cheesy as f***. There are too many that have been copied from other fighters. It’s just not for me.
“I’ve had nicknames growing up you know but I don’t want them to be a part of my fight name. Just keep it as my name. Makes it more simple that way.
“Some of them are proper cringe though, honestly. Don’t get it myself. Why embarrass yourself like that?”
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