A Bargeddie kickboxing protégé once coached by UFC superstar Paul Craig is hoping to emulate his success as he prepares for his first major bout.
Fourteen-year-old Zack McCann is set to fight Jack Boast in the 45kg category in a blockbuster ‘No pain no glory’ show in Mansfield on Saturday, September 4.
The Coatbridge High School pupil, who celebrated his 14th birthday on Saturday, has huge dreams for the future .
UFC is one of the fastest growing sports in the world, with Airdrie star Craig a world renowned fighter.
And McCann plans on emulating the career of the 33-year-old by becoming a professional.
He said: “I’d like to go down the MMA route and try and make mega cash. There is a lot of money in the sport if you can reach the top.
“If I put the work in then I know that I can reach the top.
“My dad knows Paul Craig and hopefully he can show me the basics in a couple of years time, so that I’m good to go.
“Paul used to be my coach when I was quite young. He’s done bits and bobs with me but I’d love to have a career like him.
“I like Conor McGregor. I like how confident he is and he always does what he wants but I like Nate Diaz too.”
John McCann, Zack’s father, introduced him to kickboxing and he spoke glowingly of the influence of superstar Craig.
“I took my daughter years ago and I was also practising,” he added. “Zack just gradually came into it and Paul Craig trained next to him but he was too young to spar.
“He fell away from it for a few years because I was working away from home but he’s right back at it.
“Paul is a gentleman and he was really good with Zack. That was a few years ago now but it’s something to be inspired by.
“You’ve got to crawl before you can run but he’s working really hard and sparring with men in the ring so he must be doing something right.”
For now, though, Zack is remaining fully focused on preparing for his first major fight.
Previous events have been cancelled but that only fuelled the fire for McCann to put on a show against Burnley fighter Boast.
“It’s a massive fight,” McCann said. “I’m fighting down south and it’s a really big event. It’s in a huge UFC octagon.
“I was meant to fight before but it got pulled at the last minute and that happened again so I’ve just had one exhibition fight.
“This will be my first proper fight and I’m absolutely buzzing for it.
“I’m in my fight camp at the moment and I’m training around the clock. I’m doing some intense sparring, training all the time and trying to get my fitness up.”
McCann trains out of the Truth Gym in Coatbridge under the tutelage of respected coach Gordon Scott Russell.
The talented teen is regarded as a huge prospect for the future and he revealed that he started honing his skills aged just four.
McCann added: “I was always brought up to stick up for myself and I started kickboxing when I was four.
“My dad started me out at Kombat in Whifflet when I was really young and I’ve always been good at it.
“I’ve always been in and out of it. I’d always do it for a few years then stop for a bit, but I’ve really got back into it and I’m loving it.
“I’ve got loads of pals who do boxing but nobody else is really a kickboxer. I just prefer it to boxing and I find it more interesting because I can throw kicks and do more things.
“I’m fast with my hands but I’m also really dangerous with my legs. I’m not the tallest or heaviest so I’m really fast and I use that to my advantage.”
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