A RISING MMA talent from the Wee County fought his way to victory last Saturday. 

Jordan Struthers won his fourth amateur contest against the experienced Padraig Magee, from Belfast, at On Top Promotions in Paisley. 

A welder fabricator by day, the Alloa man is keeping his feet firmly on the ground after being tipped by team-mate Craig McIntosh to turn professional within the next two years. 

Struthers told Advertiser Sport: “I felt good in there. It was good to get the hands going a bit more. I’ve not done that much in previous fights but yeah, it’s good fun in there.

“The crowd was wild. It always is at On Top. It’s one of the biggest shows in Scotland and I had all the boys there supporting, they’re a mad crowd. 

“That’s always a plus but I’m just there to compete. It’s competition, at the end of the day, which I enjoy most.”

The 22-year-old almost stopped his opponent several times throughout the fight, landing the better exchanges, and revealed he always felt in control of the occasion before getting the unanimous decision of the judges.

“He’s a very experienced fighter, he’s had 10 fights,” he said. “He’s more of a grappler, so I just wanted to keep it on the feet. I was having a lot of success there and I just felt I wasn’t in any danger in the fight really at any point. It was a good fight.”

Asked if he tailored his own approach for the bout, Struthers revealed it was his adaptability and quality of training that served him so well. 

He added: “I haven’t really got a style, just a mixture, [I’m a] jack of all trades. I trained with Mop (Craig McIntosh) for a year and then I went through to Higher Level, so that’s about four years [in the sport].

“It’s the best gym in Scotland, it’s got all the results to prove it. There’s nowhere else like it. The coaching is just another level. 

“I’m just taking it one fight at a time and seeing what happens. I haven’t really got any solid goals, I wouldn’t like to say either way, I just like to compete.”