George ‘Saint’ Staines is one of the biggest MMA prospects in the UK, and the OKTAGON Challenge Champion made his second professional appearance this past weekend at OKTAGON 56 in Birmingham.
Staines, who was an extremely decorated amatuer, took on Slovakia’s Tomas Ciganik in front of 3,000 fans at Birmingham’s Resorts World Arena.
Staines won the fight via unanimous decision. After dominating the first two rounds, Staines was caught with a body shot, which caused him to show some heart and survive until the final bell.
The Hull local, who now trains full-time at one of the world’s best MMA gyms, Next Generation MMA in Liverpool, was disappointed with his performance, but happy to improve his record to 2-0, and continue learning on his MMA journey.
Staines commented: “I felt really good for the majority of the fight. I’ve been working really hard and I implemented a lot of the techniques we’ve been working on.
“I wasn’t expecting the body shot, and he caught me with a great shot. I’m disappointed that I didn’t win in the way I wanted to, but fighting is fighting and you don’t know what’s going to happen. I’ve got a lot to learn, but if you’re not learning then you’re in it for the wrong reasons.”
Staines improves his record to 2-0 and cements himself as one of the top prospects in OKTAGON MMA.