Fighters set to take on world

BENDIGO Fight Centre will send four competitors to Bali next week to take part in this year’s World Kickboxing Association World Championships.

The championships will take place between 19 and 26 June with Taylor Jelbart taking part in muay thai, Jacob Clarke and Jamie Marek in boxing and Caleb Heffernan in the mixed martial arts discipline.

BFC coach Lucas Allen said the fighters and the gym had done everything possible to make sure they got their shot.

“That’s what happens when you’re as active as us,” he said. “We’ve had just this year alone, 52 fights and we have about 21 active fighters.

“So, it’s big numbers and you’re going to get some attention when you do that. We are also quite notorious for being the guys to fight anyone, anywhere.

“I kind of foresaw that this would happen because like I said, we keep making noise, we keep fighting, we keep winning.

“You’re not going to win every fight, especially when you’ve got 21 guys doing it. But when they are all doing really well you are going to make a lot of noise.”

Allen said that Jelbart had put in a mountain of work recently to make sure he got the chance to go to Bali.

“Since Taylor’s joined Bendigo Fight Centre he is had nine fights now,” he said. “He’s on a four-fight winning streak and he is the most deserving out of Bendigo Fight Centre to be competing in muay thai. No doubt about it.”

Muay thai fighter Jelbart said he is looking forward to seeing how he fares against international talent.

“I’m feeling confident,” he said. “It’ll be interesting to see fighters from a whole bunch of different countries and see how it goes, but it’ll be good.

“I had to get my passport just for this so it’s pretty exciting. It’s a pretty massive opportunity for me.”