Mixed Martial Arts fighter Cameron ‘Killa Cam’ Else, from Margate, is in talks with the world’s biggest promoter of the sport – Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
The 28-year-old looks set to take his career to the next level after a stunning 59 second knockout win at the Brave Combat Federation (BCF) promotion in July.
The exclusive invite-only event at the Copper Box Arena, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London was Cameron’s BCF debut. He was the only one of four fighters representing England to notch up a win with his fight against the formerly undefeated Welshman Aidan James – taking his professional fight record to 9 wins and 4 losses.
The father-of-two is looking at October to either sign up for the next UFC event in London or make a bid for the Bantamweight world title fight with the BCF. .
The former Hartsdown lad took up cage fighting after feeling ‘directionless’ following his exit from the Army.
He said: “I was in the Parachute Regiment but got caught in a blast in Afghanistan and lost my hearing.
“I had served for four years after joining up when I was 16 but I had to leave.”
Cameron says Brazilian Jiu Jitsu literally saved him from spiralling down a path to prison – although a ‘last match’ football injury meant he ended up in a waist high plastercast and spent a year watching rather than taking part in training.
But his determination to excel then saw him spend three months in Brazil training four times a day every day.
He said: “When I came back I started to compete and won in the world trials. They paid for me to fly to Dubai and represent the UK in the world championships, I lost in the quarter finals to the guy who went on to win the competition. At that time he had been training for seven years, I had only been training for 18 months.”
Since turning pro in 2012 Cameron has competed in the Ultimate Challenge MMA, Fury MMA, Cage Warriors Fighting Championship, British Association of Mixed Martial Arts, Bellator MMA, Fusion Fighting Championship and Ultimate Challenge MMA.
He trains at Jackson Wink Academy, based in Albuquerque and known as the world’s top MMA camp, and stays with top fighter Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone while in the USA.
Cameron said: “It is the best gym in the world and they realised my potential. All the top guys in the fighting world come out of that gym.
“There is nowhere here for me to train in order to go to the next level, you need to be the worst in the gym to become the best and so I invest in myself to go to America while paying for living costs here, and for my kids, so it is hard but it has to be done to get the reward down the line. I want to make something of myself and I always get the job done.
“Consistency and hard work will get me where I want to be.”
Cameron is also the man behind the Killacam fight nights held three times a year at Margate Winter Gardens. The events, which also fundraise for local causes, showcase fighting talent from the UK and Europe.
Cameron said: “When I started Killacam there was no MMA in Thanet, it was all underground. We do three or four shows a year and I am currently getting sponsorship for the next three shows. I brought MMA to Thanet and the shows raise money for charity so we are giving back to people. It is a good, positive event.”
The top ranked MMA fighter, whose wins have all been in the first round, has already called out reigning Brave CF Bantamweight World Champion Stephen “The Sniper” Loman, 23, of the Philippines, for a showdown and says he is destined for the UFC Octagon cage.
He said: “I have sacrificed the last 5 years away from my kids to trained in Albuquerque to make sure I give them the life they deserve. .I’m currently the best unsigned bantamweight outside of the UFC.
“.I will carrying on training hard daily, getting stronger and better and staying ready as anytime soon I will get that call up to the UFC and I will shock the world again.”
Killacam nights and Cameron’s intensive training both rely on sponsorship. Current sponsors of the fighter include Marcroy Eccleston Smith, A1 Scaffolding Services Ltd., Simon Pettit, Grant King, The Performance Ranch and “Mr. Sport” Yiannis Fleming.
For individuals or businesses that would like to get involved Cameron can be reached on email at [email protected] or on facebook and instagram
