Meet the local fighter making quite a name for himself in the world of Mixed Martial Arts.

Stafford Swainston, from Greater Manchester has had two Professional Mixed Martial Arts fights already, despite only being 23 years of age, winning both of them in the first round.

Both fights took place last year and Stafford's career seemed to be very much going in the right direction. But he suffered a huge setback in February of this year when he got a severe case of concussion from a head kick he was on the end of in a sparring session. Stafford has been sidelined ever since but he’s almost at the end of his recovery now and he is hopeful of a return to the sport at the start of the new year. Following the injury, Stafford says the past six months have been the toughest of his career, “It’s the worst injury I’ve ever had, I’ve broken bones and snapped ligaments in the past but nothing compares to this. “There was a time a few months ago when I thought I might never fight again, I struggled to even leave the house because of the sunlight. “With other injuries you can find ways to train around them but with brain injuries you have to stop completely and this was extremely tough for me.”

Stafford has been fighting ever since he was 16 years old. He originally began fighting because he wanted to learn self-defence but he enjoyed it so much that he took it up full-time. He decided from a young age that he would quit studying to focus on a career in MMA, a decision that his parents were not best pleased with at the time.

Originally from York, Stafford moved to Manchester in order to pursue his career in MMA due to the lack of opportunities available in his area. Stafford also spent time in America and Thailand aged just 17, where he continued to work on his training. He says travelling was perfect for his development as he learnt so much about fighting, as well as finding out more about himself as a person due to being so far out of his comfort zone.

Stafford spent his younger days working night shifts at his local Tesco, this job was perfect for him at the time as it allowed him to focus on his training during the day, and earn money at night. This work-life balance soon got too much for Stafford though, who was finding it difficult to train after his night shifts due to a lack of energy and sleep. Luckily for Stafford, he has left the night shifts behind and is now at a point where he has a full-time career in MMA, proving the doubters wrong. This is thanks to the coaching he does on the side, alongside his fighting career, which provides him with a sustainable income thanks to his large client base. The 23-year-old teaches various training sessions across the week to clients of all ages, mainly focusing on self-defence. Stafford says he loves the freedom that coaching gives him, allowing him to plan his sessions around his busy training schedule.

“My worst nightmare is doing a job without freedom, especially one I don’t enjoy. “I’d hate to have to do a 9-5 job, I wouldn’t want to be stuck in an office for the rest of my life”, said Stafford.

Stafford’s goal is to be a UFC champion one day and says he will never give up on his dream “In five years’ time I see myself in the UFC, I want to dominate the sport, I don’t want to just be another body. “I never want to have regrets, if I don’t try something, that will hurt me more than failure, if I don’t give something 100% effort, I can’t look myself in the mirror afterwards”, said Stafford.

This young man is definitely one to watch in the MMA scene, he is still only 23 and there is no doubt he has the talent and the work ethic to go right to the very top of the sport. If all goes well, we could see Stafford back in action in early 2024 and fingers crossed that is the case. Stafford is very active on social media, especially on Instagram, so if you’d like to keep up with his journey, drop him a follow @staff_swaino.