YORK’S standing as a martial arts powerhouse has gathered strength ahead of two major championships.

World and European honours beckon on the coaching, competitive and administrative battle-fronts for the city’s mixed martial arts exponents, reflecting the increasing influence York is enjoying in the sport.

Gaz Watkinson, of the United Masters Academy he runs with veterans’ world champion Tony Dias in Layerthorpe, has accepted an invitation to the sport’s biggest organisation, the World Association of Kickboxing Organisations (WAKO), to be head coach of a team to head out from Britain to compete in the World Championships in Brazil at the end of September.

And Watkinson has boosted his backroom staff by appointing Dave Phillips, co-owner and head instructor at the Legions Thai Boxing Club in Fifth Avenue, to be his assistant coach to the GB team.

Among the squad which has yet to be finalised will be five or six from the various York clubs.

Meanwhile, Watkinson’s son, Sam, and UMA team-mate Megan Wetten are in the GB squad to compete in the WAKO European Junior Championships to be held in Poland in September.

With Wetton’s dad Phil, who runs SAY Scaffolding and is the major sponsor of the UMA set-up, being asked to be one of WAKO’S main fundraisers, the strength of York’s reputation as a major mixed martial arts base is growing.

Said Watkinson: “Clubs like UMA and Dave’s Legions’ set-up have only been going for about two years and yet we could have as many as ten York people, coaches and fighters, involved in the WAKO World Championships, and also have two youngsters in the Europeans.

“We are also set to have Mark Long, from the York Martial Arts Academy, and UMA’s Stu Phillips going for the full contact World Kickboxing Championships, which are scheduled to be held in Turkey in November.

“It’s quite an amazing fillip for the way the sport has grown in York and the way interest is continuing to build,” said Watkinson.