Victory for SBG Moray Martial Arts coach and top Scottish grappler Kevin McAloon to retain Evolution of Combat title in Glasgow
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MORAY mixed martial arts ‘grappler’ and coach Kevin McAloon held on to his title belt by forcing a professional fighter into submission.
The 30-year-old SBG Moray Martial Arts coach added to his growing list of achievements by retaining his Evolution of Combat title in Glasgow in a submission grappling bout.
The sport involves different grappling styles with the aim of submitting your opponent, which Elgin-based McAloon did in perfect style after just three minutes of his fight against RAF Welshman Jon Maflin.
“Submission grappling is just a simpler name for jiu jitsu really,” explained McAloon. “The Evolution of Combat show has a mix of MMA and sub grappling.
“As the sport of jiu jitsu grows, many want to watch technical grapplers.”
McAloon defeated an Icelandic opponent to claim the belt last September and retained it last month against Maflin, who is a highly-rated grappler and a paid professional athlete under the RAF’s elite sportsman’s programme.
“During my match with Jon he attacked me hard and went after leg lock attacks initially,” he added
“After I defended these, I managed to force him to give up his back and I finished with a rear naked choke forcing Jon to tap.”
McAloon is also champion of another show, the Scottish Grappling Invitational, and will defend his belt later this year.
His exploits on the MMA scene earned him the title of Scottish Grappler of the Year for 2021, as voted a few weeks ago.
“Since shows opened up again after lockdown I’ve tried hard to be active,” he said.
“I had a title eliminator on Evolution of Combat in July followed by my title fight in September.
“I fought in Liverpool in November on a show called Grapplefest and won against a fancied opponent.
“To round off the year I captained a Scotland select in a four nations grappling tournament. Our team featured the likes of Scottish UFC fighter Stevie Ray.”
McAloon, who holds multiple belts in his sport, also coaches at SBG in Elgin, where they teach members martial arts including Brazilian jiu jitsu, freestyle wrestling, Muay Thai and MMA.
“We also teach kids’ classes three times a week,” he said. “Developing kids is a big focus for us.”
An added sideline for McAloon is a Moray sports massage business which he runs from the gym.
