Working Around the Octagon

First introduced to the world of MMA through her husband, Katie Hunter fell in love with the combat sport and she can now be found reporting for MMA UK.

Katie was oblivious to the world of MMA before her husband persuaded her to sit down and watch it with him on the television. From there, she began attending UFC events and then gradually Katie found herself in attendance at smaller local shows.

As the charm of the octagon was winning Katie’s affection, she did harbour ambitions of training in MMA herself. Through fighter Brad Pickett, who Katie admits is one of her “heroes”, she was presented with the opportunity to take part in a six-month intensive course – training every day with professional coaches.

Though a career competing was never on the cards, striking up a relationship with Pickett did prove to be advantageous for Katie, who got her first big break working on one of the fighter’s shows.

“He had a fight show called Rise of Champions (ROC),” Katie told Fen Regis Trophies. “He needed help with their social media, so I offered to help out with that.

“It was an absolute dream working with him as he is one of my heroes, and getting to work on his show was amazing.

“Through that and wanting to help with ticket sales, I applied to MMA UK to give a platform to some of the fighters we had on the card.”

MMA UK

MMA UK is one of the largest independent online news outlets for all things MMA in the United Kingdom, first starting up in 2012. In 2018, Katie began submitting press releases on behalf of Pickett’s ROC promotion to the website and from there her involvement both with MMA UK, and the sport, has grown.

“I enjoyed interviewing the ROC fighters after they had fought as well as in the lead-up, doing that on video,” Katie said.

“Sadly, their (ROC) show hasn’t been on for quite a few years now, but that has led me to branch out and interview other fighters.

“Over the years, I have interviewed everybody from UFC champions down to grassroots.”

Passion for Grassroots UK MMA

Katie will be the first to admit that interviewing household names is, and always will be, a buzz to her. However, the Essex-based reporter wishes to use her platform to give exposure to UK fighters that are coming through.

“It feels amazing to get to interview UFC fighters,” Katie said. “But the people who really need the help are the people who are just coming through.

“People like the amateurs who are looking for sponsorship, people who need petrol money to get to the gym.

“They are just waiting for their chance, and they are doing everything they can to make sure they are the next one.

“They are the people that need the platform.”

Katie, like many of the fighters she interviews, fits her undeniable passion for MMA in and around the routine of everyday life. With dedicated fans in the media like Katie, who are every bit as enthusiastic about the sport’s grassroots as they are about the elite level, MMA is all the better because of it.

You can watch Katie’s interviews on the MMA UK YouTube page, as well as at mmauk.net where you can catch up on the latest news in UK MMA.

By Aaron Gratton