THREE world titles - and an honoured national position - was the glittering haul for students from the United Martial Arts College at the WKC world kickboxing championships in Portugal.

Teenager Andrew Garside, veteran Chris Gill and Tony Dias, founder of UMAC which has clubs in Malton and Haxby, conquered the world at the three-day event.

As a further boost the seven-strong UMAC team, who were all representing England, also returned with three silver medals and three bronzes.

And to cap the Portugal plunder, Dias accepted an invitation to be the British national continuous kickboxing coach for the newly-formed World Martial Arts Organisation.

Said Dias: "It was a massive achievement for all my students to gain a place on the squad and to come back with three world titles, three silver and three bronze medals was just superb."

The UMAC success was due reward for gruelling preparation in which all the team trained at least three times a day for six to eight weeks solid with all having to maintain their correct weight.

After completing the weigh-in, the competition proper did not start until the second day with UMAC's first competitor, 14-year-old 50-kilogramme British champion was just edged out in the semi-finals to gain the club's first bronze.

Another 14-year-old, Tamara Tavares, also the reigning British champion, dominated a Scottish opponent in the semi-final to earn a place in the final showdown. However, she was the wrong side of a contentious decision and had to settle for a silver.

It was not long to wait, however, for the first world title.

Garside, who had previously appeared in the world championships, justified his British champion status by coming through two fights. The second was a gutsy conquest of a Portuguese favourite, before the 16-year-old then bested a fellow English squad member to land gold in the under-65k division.

It was the turn of the UMAC adults to repeat the fine start set by the teen titans.

World champions in Cyprus last year, Lewis Smith and Nik Pavlovets, just missed repeating that feat.

Smith's run in the U80k class ended in the semi-finals, while Pavolvets reached his U75k final and a momentous clash against current multi-world champion Alex Barrowman, whose greater experience proved the telling factor for the UMAC ace to finish with a silver medal.

But gold was struck at the double in the veterans' section.

Gill competed in two events of the U75k (42-plus year-old section). He gained bronze in the points fighting discipline and then upped his game to win his first world title in the continuous kickboxing regime beating the reigning German champion in the final.

UMAC founder and head coach Dias in contrast is imbued with top-level experience. A former five-time world champion he is also the British title-holder at U75k level.

He successfully retained his continuous kickboxing crown (48-plus year-old section) world crown, one of two he won last year in the space of two weeks in Italy and Cyprus.

In hanging on to his gold he tore a muscle in his right arm, though he still competed in the points fighting event before bowing out to the current Northern Ireland and world champion.

However, any disappointment was KO'd by his appointment as the new national continuous kickboxing at the WMAO for which he will be a key member of the back-up team for the first British championships to be held in Rugby on February 8 next year.

Anyone interested in world-class kickboxing tuition in Haxby, Wigginton or Malton should phone Tony Dias on 07956 612667.

 

Super British outcome for the ‘Hunter’

UMAC’S first professional fighter, Stu ‘The Hunter’ Phillips, was rewarded for true Brit grit, writes Tony Kelly.

The current ICO English champion, Phillips, below right, accepted a British title bout at just one week’s notice.

He and UMAC head coach Tony Dias journeyed to Weston-super-Mare to challenge home favourite Neil Richards, the current total full contact British champion.

Amid a hostile atmosphere - “I was the only one to applaud Stu as he entered the cage,” said coach Dias - Phillips silenced the crowd with a stunning performance.

He dominated all seven two-minute rounds to conquer Richards and be crowned the new TFCV British belt-holder.

The victory was vindication of his decision to turn professional for which he has been backed since earlier this year by Kevin Hollinrake, above left, the managing director of Hunters the Estate Agents in York.

Declared Dias, above centre: “The backing of Kevin Hollinrake at Hunters has been invaluable to Stu.

“In fact, all our sponsors at the club deserve thanks because, to be honest, without the support they give us, there just would not be a club.

“There would not be kids and adults training and then going to tournaments bringing back medals and titles to York.

“The sponsors, who help in whatever way they can, are vital to the club.”

Besides Hollinrake at Hunters, other UMAC backers are: Ron Wathey – entertainment manager of Haxby Sports and Social Club; Principal Resourcing; Saleem of Jinnah Restaurant in Flaxton; Croots of England; Ellis Patients; and Dr Rahim Elsharif.