A 20-year-old cage fighter from Nelson won gold in his debut at a major Las Vegas tournament.

Shoaib Yousaf was competing in the featherweight category of the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) held in Las Vegas in July.

The prestigious event marks the world’s largest celebration of combat sports.

Following five unbeaten fights in six challenging days, Shoaib was spectacularly crowned the best amateur featherweight in the world after battling against Ireland’s Nathan Kelly.

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Shoaib said:”First and foremost I am very pleased and honoured to have been selected to represent my country in the IMMAF world championships in Las Vegas. To participate in such an event was a great experience but to go and win Gold at the World Championships was one of the greatest moments of my career.

“Training for the tournament went great. I train all year round but coming up to the tournament was Ramadan therefore I had to push myself and train harder in the months leading up to the world championships.

“A big part of my success is the team around me. I would like to thank my family and supporters for all their support. Another big thank you to my coaches, Rob Sinclair and Mick Sinclair (Sinclair MMA), Imran Khan and Zagir Kaziev (Eagle Fight Club), Uwais Majeed (Muscle Factory) and Lucio Sergio.

“Also Carl Messen and all my team at Heavy Duty Fight Management as well as UKMMAF for selecting me to represent the UK at the IMMAF championships.

“I’m looking forward to making my pro debut next and to show everybody that there is a lot more to come from Shoaib Yousaf.”

He also received support from Amir Khan in the form of a video message.

Shoaib’s uncle Mohammed Sheraz said, “Over the past week and fighting on the world’s most famous stage, Shoaib was noted as being amongst the most popular competitors at the IMMAF and his fellow fighters went on to say he was possibly the most humble person in the tournament.

“The result comes easily to him as he already accepts the fact that success or failure lies in the hands of the Creator, no matter what the outcome was, he was victorious even before he boarded the plane.”