Aimilios Apostolou will make his amateur MMA debut this Saturday at Battle Arena Northampton, and he’s excited for the “unforgettable moment” of competing inside the cage for the first time.
Apostolou’s opponent on the night is Josh Shaw, who will also debut while going through all the same emotions in the build-up.
Ahead of fight night, we had the opportunity to speak with Aimilios Apostolou. Hear what he had to say below.
Interview With Aimilios Apostolou
Saturday night, you make your official debut at Battle Arena Northampton. Talk me through the emotions, nerves and excitement level you’re going through as we are in fight week.
The emotions you go through as a fighter are indescribable unless you have fought previously. It is really hard to explain. You feel excitement and anxiety throughout fight camp, but when it gets to fight week, that’s when it starts to feel real! Im Really excited to fight and showcase my skills to the world.
I saw it prior to your debut. You had been competing in interclub and grappling tournaments. How much value do you take from that? As you’ll have competed behind closed doors before in a more controlled manner, so somewhat know what to expect.
I take quite a bit of value in any sort of level of competing, and it helped me understand exactly what I am capable of and realise how it will be when I step inside the big cage!
Tell the viewers how long you’ve been training and how you knew the time was right to make your debut.
I’ve been training for about two years. I started when I was 15, and I’ve come a long way. I was just another kid wanting to learn how to defend myself, but I realised I had raw talent and pursued it with everything I had. I knew it was the right time to make my debut when I was sparring with high-level fighters and giving them a hard time in all aspects of MMA.
Aimilios Apostolou Talks Preperation
Who are some of the guys who have helped you the most prepping to this moment?
The guys who have helped me the most from the beginning and are still with me every day, making me better, is Mark Kelly, also my head MMA coach, who has put countless hours into helping me become the best version of myself and always pushing me to the limit in every session. Also, I wanna mention Flavio Damiano, who is also making his debut at Battle Arena Northampton, And Lindsey Payne is fighting for the belt! These two have been there from the start helping me and constantly improving my game!
With debuts come a lot of different emotions and expectations. That said, on Sunday morning, what will make you wake up satisfied with your performance regardless of the result? What expectations have you set for yourself?
When I wake up Sunday morning, I know I will be satisfied with the result. I have been training 2-3 times a day every day for the last two months. I have put my everything into this fight camp and have left no stone unturned. im gonna give it my all on Saturday, and I’ll make sure I don’t leave the decision to the judges.
What can fans expect to see when Aimilios Apostlou and Josh Shaw collide at Battle Arena Northampton?
Viewers can expect to see fireworks on Saturday because I know I’m more than capable of doing what needs to be done.
The Unforgettable Moment
Making your MMA debut can be a monumental moment in someone’s mixed martial arts journey. Will there be friends and family there to support you on fight night?
Making my debut is gonna be an exciting and unforgettable moment for me, and I can’t wait to show everyone what I’m capable of. I’m going to have quite a bit of friend and family there, and a lot of people say that adds pressure, but for me, it just adds more excitement.
Have you set any small goals for yourself this year in terms of competing?
The goals I have set this year are to get two more wins under my name and some jiu-jitsu comps just for the fun of it, and next year I am coming for the belt!
Featured image credits to Aimilios Apostolou
