A Drumheller mixed marshal arts fighter is only four bouts into his career and already is fighting for a belt.
Readers of The Drumheller Mail are familiar with former resident Andrew Kloot’s rise in the sport of MMA. So far, he has a record of 4-0 and on Friday night, January 31, he will be fighting in Red Deer for the Havoc FC Lightweight Amateur title.
“Not that many fighters get the opportunity to fight for an amateur title,” Kloot told The Mail. “Most fighters will stay amateur for three to five fights before going pro. I just got lucky because of my good record at the right time. The former champion is going pro so the belt is up for grabs and they offered me the fight.”
He doesn’t take the opportunity for granted.
“This fight is important to me because it’s every athletes dream to be crowned a champion,” he said. “It’s still amateur so hopefully I will move on to bigger things in my career, but at the moment this is my biggest opportunity and if I win, I will always have that belt to remind me that I was once a champion.”
The event is called HavocFC4 and has a card with five amateur bouts and six pro fights. The featured event is the professional welterweight title.
Kloot is facing another undefeated fighter, and expects a tough match with Josh Goodheart.
“From what I have seen my opponent is a big guy. He normally fights at 165 pounds so I will have to look out for his strength and long reach,” said Kloot. “He has a very dangerous ground game so I will have to be mindful of that.”
Kloot however brings power and a decent ground game. His goal is to go pro, and he is putting in the work to get there, training up to six days a week doing kickboxing, wrestling and jiu jitsu.
“I feel like my gym, coach and training partners are what separates me from my opponent. I train at Champions Creed with some of the best fighters around. We have superb coaching and a great team who are always able to push me to the next level,” said Kloot.
With four bouts under his belt, he has not had to go the distance, often scoring quick knockouts. He trusts that his coach will determine when it is the right time to go pro.
On thing that spurs him on is the support he receives locally.
“It means so much to have so many people interested in what I’m doing and cheering me on. So many great Drumheller businesses have been there for me when I needed sponsorship… Their support has really helped me get to where I am today.”
