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Taxi driver swaps cab for cage

Thursday, 24 April 2008

A FORMER taxi driver has taken a leap into business to follow his passion for cage fighting.
The combat sport, which is also known as Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), has become increasingly popular in Dublin and the rest of Ireland, according to Northsider Dessie Mellon.
The Drumcondra local found a niche in the market when he recently opened the first ever MMA store in the country.
Dessie’s unique business idea is already paying off with MMA fans coming from all over the country to visit the store, which is located in Moore Street Mall.
“MMA or cage fighting is huge throughout the rest of the world and it is becoming increasingly popular here,” Dessie told Northside People. “It is a fairly new phenomenon as it only came about in the ‘90s but it already has millions of followers.”
MMA is a full contact combat sport, which is a combination of martial arts and several hand-to-hand fighting techniques. It was made popular by the Ultimate Fighting Championship, which is regularly screened on pay-per-view television.
There are already many gyms that specialise in MMA training in Dublin.
“I suppose people have a negative perception of what cage fighting is,” Dessie said. “They think that there are no rules and that it is really just a free-for-all but that isn’t true. It is a very technical, disciplined and athletic sport.”
According to Dessie, Ireland is home to many of the world’s future MMA champions.
“There is a lot of talent coming through,” he told Northside People.
“The guys that are getting involved in it here have proved themselves to be top of their game in wrestling, judo and the like.”
He added: “I’m really passionate about MMA but unfortunately I’m a little too old to compete which is why I’m glad to able to cater for those who can.”
Dessie’s Warriors MMA shop supplies clothing and gloves for hand-to-hand combat. The Northsider sources his supplies for the top MMA chains in America, Brazil and Thailand.
“The shop is doing really well considering it has only been opened a few weeks,” he said. “Just last week, I had a group of fighters who came down all the way from Antrim to get a few things.”
Warriors MMA is open seven days a week. For further information call 087-9134804.

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