Teenage Rothwell fighter Elijah Butler is planning pro MMA career
Rothwell teenager Elijah Butler is making a name for himself as a tough, skilful, dedicated and most importantly winning amateur MMA fighter who aims to join the professional ranks by the time he turns 19 at the end of 2026.
Butler recently turned 17 and has been training at Morley’s AVT gym for 10 years, writes James Bovington.
He said: "I started training for combat sports as a Thai boxer from the age of five when my dad got tired of being beaten up as we played Superheroes.
"He decided I’d benefit from expert coaching. I’ve never looked back and now I see my future as an MMA fighter on a major promotion.”
Before switching to amateur MMA 15 months ago when he reached the minimum age for local promotions of 16, he had won national competitions in both Thai Boxing and K1 kickboxing.
The former Oulton Academy pupil trains up to six times a week for two hours a day and pays for this by coaching younger children at AVT.
Last October Butler took a fight at short notice against Jake Wills and the two teenagers put on such a quality performance that the bout was judged Fight of the Year 2024 by South Yorkshire promoter BMFMMA.
"Then my gym AVT chose my fight with Jake as their Amateur Fight of the Year,” said Elijah.
"They described it as an ‘epic battle.’ Truth is that Jake and I enjoyed our fight, showing what we’re made of and developing skills that will serve us well in future professional careers.”
Dad Paul explained: “In some ways Elijah’s a typical teenager, but he is obsessively active. He’ll play badminton or go rock climbing when not training.
"We’re very proud of him. He frequently wins fight of the night on shows across the north and he’s gained such a reputation for winning that even older opponents are often reluctant to face Elijah.”
Having won 14 of 17 kickboxing K1 contests Butler has now won three of four amateur MMA bouts, which included the narrow loss against Wills.
Elijah sees the highlight of his career so far as his MMA debut on Doncaster’s world-famous Caged Steel promotion.
He then beat French fighter Sacha Dejeanty by stoppage in the main event on the BadMoFo MMA show at Barnsley Metrodome.
Elijah returns to this venue on Saturday for his first fight of 2025 when he will meet Greek fighter Ioannis Tsecheridis.
Like all elite athletes contemplating a professional career Butler requires sponsorship.
He added: "I’m an exciting fighter gaining more fans with each fight. I’m memorable. I promise sponsors that I’ll not disappoint.
"It’ll be a good investment as I go on to make my family, friends and local area proud as I fulfil my ambition.”
Potential sponsors can contact Elijah via his father Paul Butler on Facebook Messenger or by initial text to 07584 493378.