English light heavyweight prospect Luke Trainer plans on demolishing opponents inside the Bellator cage, then using his winnings to build houses for vulnerable children.
LONDON – [autotag]Luke Trainer[/autotag] wants to make his mark inside the Bellator cage, then change the lives of vulnerable children outside it.
The 25-year-old English light heavyweight prospect heads into his second bout as a Bellator fighter on Friday at Bellator 267, which takes place at the SSE Arena, Wembley, London. The main card streams live on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.
But, while most up-and-coming prospects have their sights set on personal glory, Trainer (4-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) is equally as focused when talking about his goals away from the cage.
Having been brought up in a family that regularly fostered children, Trainer has fully bought into the process and said that he wants to take his success as a professional fighter and use it to improve children’s lives.
Speaking to reporters, including MMA Junkie, during a media day session in London, Trainer explained, “Growing up with my parents fostering, growing up with foster children my whole life, I’ve learned how blessed I am and I’ve learned the importance of helping others, especially children.
“Children in care now is my purpose. Helping children in care, doing what I can. Fortunately, I’m going to have a platform. Hopefully, I’m going to have a small fortune out of this career. I’m going to be able to build children homes and I’m going to be able to offer something different with children in the U.K. and in Europe and I’m going to do good things.
“At the end of the day, that’s my purpose in life. To do good things for human beings and children in care is what I can specialize in.”
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Trainer’s Bellator debut saw him finish Alex O’Toole in Milan in September 2020. Now he’s set to fight on home soil against fellow countryman and former EFC middleweight champion Yannick Bahati in a bout he acknowledges as the toughest of his young career to date.
“He’s a savage. On paper he’s much more experienced,” he admitted. “I believe I’m much more hungry. I believe I’m much more dangerous. My skillset versus his skillset I think I match up a lot better. I have a gameplan, let’s see if I execute it and I get the win.
“I believe this fight is going to be a war. I’m excited with this opponent being a savage, because the other opponents I’ve faced, I’ve felt like I’ve touched them they’ve either gone down, or they’ve panic shot. I think this guy’s going to be ready for a war, too and we get to give the fans what they want. They want blood, we’re going to give them blood.”
Trainer is clearly a man with a plan, both inside and outside the cage, and the Stevenage native said he plans on calling his shot after he gets his hand raised on Friday night.
“I’ll let you know after the fight – right after the fight,” he said. “I’ve got a hit list, so yeah. I’m coming. I’m not looking over Yannick, though. This is going to be a war. He’s a savage, I’m a savage. Once I get past this human being I’m coming for the U.S.
“I see this fight going in so many ways. I will finish Yannick Bahati, that is my prediction. I’ve visualized this fight three times a day throughout the entire fight camp, with multiple different ways – if it goes on the feet, if it goes on the ground, however. But I expect a finish and how that goes, we’ll see.”
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