team colosseum - mixed martial arts training

Wherever you travel in the MMA world, each country has it’s own concentration of gyms and academies — in the States, you can’t walk around anywhere in LA without failing to spot a gym, like wise in Tokyo, Japan and the same goes for many European countries; the UK also boasts it’s very own Mecca of MMA, right here along the Manchester/Yorkshire corridor of the M62 — drive anywhere along the length of the motorway and within ten minutes of turning off any junction, one will find an academy for all seasons. Darren Currie, Neil Hall, Karl Tanswell, Ozzy Haluk, Ronnie Green, Mark Spencer are just a few of the names on the circuit, but if you want to find the epicentre of MMA mayhem in the North then look no further than the thriving metropolis of Wigan.

In it’s satellite town’s one can find Darren Morris’s gym in Atherton, Roy Wood’s club in Aspull, Tom Blackledge’s in Wigan, Mike Gregory’s in Leigh and last but not least and topic of this report, The Colleseum gym; five major clubs within a five mile radius of each other, makes this the grapplers dream and the strikers Nirvana.

Danny Rushton Cranks it

The Colosseum Gym’s roots began way back in 1996, when Dangerous Danny Rushton, the club’s founder, alongside the Colosseum Colossus, Danny ‘The Mangler’ Wallace, were teaching the usual mainstream martial arts on Gas St, in Leigh town centre; from there, according to Rushton the name Colleseum evolved around 97/98 just as what is now known as MMA was evolving, with Rushton competing around this time in Rings amateur events, Night of Samurai 2 and 3, Millennium Brawl, Rings Free Fight, trading leather with the mighty Dave van de Veen, AFC 7 in Russia and even tangling with Lee Murray, rounding all this off by winning the European Pancrase Championship in the 95+ division, although only weighing 88K himself.

Rushton v Lee Murray

With the gym firmly established as a fighter’s gym, its reputation continues to grow and is now home to some of the most recognisable names on the UK circuit — Aaron ‘The Snake Charmer’ Chatfield, Matt ‘Beanpole’ Thorpe, ‘Razors’ Richard Westwell, Steve ‘Heavyweight’ Milward, Jenny ‘The Animal’ Taylor and the Colleseum’s secret weapon John ‘Bullet’ Hopton — don’t let his calm, academic exterior fool you, as when the whistle blows for sparring, Hopton changes into a one man wrecking machine, as Aaron and Matt can testify.

c'mon Marios if ya think ya hard enough

Widge (left) on the Colosseum Diet

In addition to being a top flight gym, the Colleseum is part of the Northern Cartel and being their Press Officer, attendance was mandatory at the behest of The Don, so off I toddled to the gym last night for a Tuesday session; I was in luck as the Two Dans were in attendance and after a warm up from MLSports poster boy Aaron Chatfield, Danny Rushton held court. Danny took the class through a number of striking drills and ended the technical session with takedowns and sprawls, before flowing into the crucifix submission — time for sparring.

Owing to my absence from the gym with travel commitments, the Leviathan, Danny Wallace, picked me out for sparring and I was re introduced to Wallace’s deadly jabbing front kick, puncturing my abdomen at will, before dropping in and taking me out with a rear choke on the ground; five minutes is more than enough of this madness and then it was time for the last part of the class, body boxing. One minute quick fire rounds of all out body shots, the aim to try and stay in the area and stay alive. First in the ring saw me up against The Charmer Chatfield and after having my kidneys tenderised, I was face to face with Rushton and all I can say is thank sfuk he wasn’t wearing Harbingers!

Another session done, another Cartel report in the bag — the Colleseum fighters are in events up and down the UK and as ever, an open invitation is extended by the Two Dans — be sure to take the offer up, you won’t be disappointed.

Training nights are Tuesday and Thursdays 7-30 — 9pm and cost a hefty 250 pence — for more info contact widge17@yahoo.co.uk

Carl Fisher — Northern Cartel Press Officer