Two Dundee fighters are psyching themselves up as a big weekend of champion title clashes looms.
Marc “the Freakin’ Rican” Navarro from Stobswell will take on England’s Iain “Badman” Martell in the biggest K1 fighting show in Britain on Saturday.
On the same night Chris Romanowski heads to Edinburgh for the Celtic champion K1 style kickboxing title fight.
The pair both train at the Sky Axe Gym, Victoria Street and are feeling fighting fit for the weekend ahead.
Marc, 26, said: “I’ve three fights coming up in nine weeks but this one is definitely the biggest.
“It’s the biggest show in it’s series and it will be on Sky Sports a week after the event in London.”
Marc is already the Scottish K1 champion at middleweight and the Dynamite fight series K1 champion, but he will actually move up a weight class to take on Iain Martell for the light heavyweight K1 title.
The K1 style of fighting is like cage fighting.
“I’m feeling confident,” he said. “I’m moving up a weight but there’s no point going into it if you’re not feeling confident.
“This is being billed as a big clash and it’s a Scottish fighter against an English. Iain’s been off training in Brazil.”
And if all goes well Marc too could be training in far-flung places as he has an opportunity to fight around the world.
While he has only been K1 fighting for the last two years Marc has a wealth of experience in the ring.
“I boxed for years before and I had six professional fights,” he said.
“I won five and knocked out four of them. I always loved boxing and it’s stood me in good stead for what I do now but this is a far more aggressive style.
“I’m right in there and it’s been working.”
Marc has a crew of 20 supporters from Dundee flying down to London and he will meet up with some famous friends from his childhood.
“I went to school with the guys from The View and they’re going to be down to cheer me on,” he said.
Marc will be back in London at the end of the month to defend his middle weight title and next month he is taking on a Danish fighter for the European title.
While he tussles down south Chris will be in Edinburgh, competing for the Celtic champion title in K1 kickboxing.
He already holds the Five Nations full contact title in western style kickboxing and the European K1 title. He is taking on Ken Okungbowa from Wolfpack Kickboxing in Ireland.
Chris, 32, has been kickboxing since his early 20s but it makes quite a contrast to his day job.
The part-time taxi driver is also an art student at Gardyne College, training for an HND in contemporary art practice.
But the fighter from the West End has spent the last few days busy training for his weekend clash.
“I just like fighting to tell you the truth but I like proper fighting, gentlemen’s fighting, not idiot fighting.
“I like to find my happy place, like Happy Gilmore. If you go in too angry you go in too tense.”