Bones MMA duo secure victorious debuts

A PAIR of Surf Coast-based Muay Thai debutants walked out of Melbourne Pavilion with their heads held high following two wins for two of Bones MMA’s finest.

Hannah Collins of Torquay, and Ryan Doyle of Anglesea, secured hard fought victories against tough opponents in front of a sold-out crowd at ‘Roots: Small Axe’ on February 26, Muay Thai’s premiere event of the year in Victoria.

Nineteen-year-old Doyle, who has only known training with Bones MMA in Torquay, first attending the gym through a high-school program, won his fight via decision, as too did Collins who won her bout unanimously.

“I was very excited to make my pro debut and move to the next level,” Doyle said.

“It was incredible, I have watched many professional fights before and always wanted to do it, it was surreal being one of the professional fighters.

“The fight was actually lots of fun, once the bell rang and it began, I enjoyed every second of it.”

The fact that it was Doyle’s first professional fight meant that it was also his first fight camp, however, the young cruiserweight (86kg) fit right into the pre-fight regime while also learning new facets to the preparation side of fighting.

“Leading up to the fight I was very excited, I was a little bit anxious but not really nervous or scared because I felt like I had done all the preparations needed for the fight,” Doyle said.

“I learnt that so much time goes into training for a fight, from what you eat for breakfast, to how much to train and even how much sleep you get, every second of the day you train for your fight.”

It was different circumstances for Collins in her preparations, as she had been preparing for her fight since May last year.

But numerous lockdowns made it extremely difficult to lock in fights, particularly interstate ones.

“Most people might think it would have been arduous to be in a fight camp that long,” Collins said.

“I obviously tapered off when it was necessary, but I am a very motivated person and will always strive to improve, therefore getting into full fight mode preparation wasn’t a far reach to what I had been training like all year anyway.”

Collins, who works as an instructor at Bones MMA in Torquay, was beyond proud of her performance in the night, displaying her new arsenal of tools and showcasing the knowledge she learned in the lead-up to Roots: Small Axe.

Collins also fights at perhaps the most difficult weight division in Victoria for female Muay Thai fighters at Super Bantamweight (53.5kg).

“Proud would be an understatement,” Collins said.

“When you have the chance to represent your gym, as an extension of their knowledge and showcase what you’ve learned; that warrants the feeling of proud.

“To partake in such a prestigious event was an honour as well, Sy the promoter of Rebellion Muay Thai always hosts the finest Muay Thai technicians, so to be included in that was certainly a goal achieved.”

Doyle’s next fight will take place on the Sunshine Coast come March 20, meanwhile Collins will recover, rest, and assist any other fighters with their own fight camps until her next one is organised.