ASAD MUNIR has spoken of the bond between himself and other members of Blackbeard MMA as he prepares to make his Fight Series debut on Saturday, April 8.

Munir will challenge Fynn Judd for the super welterweight title on the show at the Magnet Leisure Centre in Maidenhead.

The Slough debutante knows he must be mentally well prepared to topple Judd, but Munir believes the bond he has with his training partners will help him in the ring.

“I got really into fighting about a year ago but, to be honest, would rather train professionally than do it on the streets,” Munir told the Observer.

“It’s good training here as well. It gets you mentally right and disciplined, so it’s helped me a lot and I’ve started to enjoy it.

“I’ve done sparring sessions and pad work and you start building a bond with the people you train with, and it just helps you.

“You start building a friendship with the people you train with. You start understanding them more and that helps me as well.

Asian Image:

PHOTO: (l-r) Blackbeard MMA founder Nomman Khalid, competitors Mark Alexander and Asad Munir plus their training partner Majid Hussain.

“The training is getting more intense but, to be honest, if it wasn’t I wouldn’t enjoy it is much, so I’m really happy with it.

"This club is the most welcome I've ever been to. There is always different levels and high levels always help the low ones no matter what.

"It's basically just like a family really, not even a club. It's an awesome club."

He continued: “I don’t think I’m nervous about this fight because if you see my training partners they’re bigger than my opponent.

“But, I get aroused by excitement so if there’s a challenge there and someone tells me I can’t, it just triggers something mentally and makes me want to.

“That’s the thing that might effect me because when you’re in the ring fighting you have to be mentally right. You can’t just go in there and rush, you have to have a gameplan, So I don't want to get too psyched up.

"I'm not going in blind. I have seen one of his fights and I think I've got what it takes. My skills match to his weaknesses so it should be a good match up for me."

Asian Image:

PHOTO: Asad Munir, left, and Mark Alexander, right, discuss their training with Observer sports reporter Rob Stevens.

Munir added: "It would mean a lot to me to win as I've been training hard for more than a year and a half for this fight.

"I think I've been training hard enough and am more than capable of winning, and finish with a knockout."

Looking ahead to the show, Blackbeard MMA founder Nomaan Khalid said: "We have got some good fights on the night and a couple of title fights coming out of our camp as well, so I'm really looking forward to it.

"They (Asad and Mark Alexander) are looking really good. It's scary now and I've stopped sparring them, so that's a good sign, letting them beat each other up.

"It would be amazing to have local champions. We've already got a middleweight champion in the mixed martial arts side of things and I'm hoping to get these two the belts as well.

"I'm definitely confident. We are in it to win it."

For tickets call 07913 328035.