Ahead of his long awaited rematch with Steve Moxon in the main event of Powerplay 34 on Saturday night, Brad ‘Quake’ Riddell has told Fight News Australia of his plans to transition over to MMA on a full-time basis.
While Riddell has competed across many disciplines including muay thai, kickboxing, boxing and MMA, the allure of a new challenge and a different direction have led the 25-year-old New Zealand fighter to consider switching his focus.
“I change fight disciplines because I believe that I am able to fight in any discipline with no trouble at the highest level. I love the challenge of fighting in a new style as well, it’s something new in a sport that requires a lot of monotonous repetitions”.
Training alongside some of the best fighters New Zealand has to offer out of City Kickboxing and City Leegar, Riddell is certainly well placed to add to his MMA record of three wins from three fights and really make an impact on the local, and international scene.
Working day-to-day with the likes of Ultimate Fighter alumni Kai-Kara France, former Glory Middleweight title contender Israel Adesanya and some of the best coaches New Zealand has to offer, Riddell is confident in making the transition.
“I have 100% faith in my coach Eugene Bareman that he can train me to fight anyone at any level in any discipline. I train alongside the best fighters in the world at City Kickboxing and City Leegar. From MMA to boxing to kickboxing, we have it all”.
Not one to look beyond his current challenge, Riddell is predicting we will see a very different version of himself when he steps into centre ring on Saturday night to avenge his 2014 loss to Moxon.
“I can comfortably say that the fight I had with Steve was one of the worst of my career. I barely left first gear and had a contract with Glory (Kickboxing) dangling in front of my face. I got ahead of myself and was very young and less experienced. This fight will be extremely different and I’ll put on a real kickboxing clinic”.
Whether it be in kickboxing, muay thai or MMA, Riddell is happy about the decision he made as a teenager to commit himself to a career in combat sports and hasn’t looked back since.
“The life of a professional fighter is amazing. It has never been tough. It has been what I made it and I chose this lifestyle and I love it every day. I get flown around the world to fight the best warriors from each country and show how good New Zealand is. I can’t complain, it keeps me fit, strong, healthy and god damn dangerous!”
https://www.fightnewsaustralia.com/powerplay-34-live-stream/
