Danny Henry's fledgling fight career has taken an unexpected turn as he prepares to make his debut with Africa's biggest MMA promotion, the Extreme Fighting Championship (EFC).
The Edinburgh native is making big changes in his quest for cage glory. First he left his Headhunters team in January to join the highly-regarded coach James Doolan's squad of West Lothian warriors at Higher Level - a satellite branch of the Dinky Ninja Fight Team.
Next, he answered the call when the EFC called Doolan and asked if he had any featherweight fighters who would be interested in taking on some of Africa's top stars. Although he had previously fought in the 155lb lightweight class, Henry made another major change and jumped at the chance to try his luck at 145lb. He will face South African Hanru Botha at EFC40 in Johannesburg on Saturday, June 6.
Henry tells Herald Sport: "Moving to Higher Level is the best decision I've ever made in my MMA career. The guys I'm sparring against are incredible athletes. Guys like Martin Delaney, Graham Turner and Stevie Ray are in my sparring group and it's a huge step up in competition for me.
"It was actually these guys that made me realise I either needed to bulk up to compete at lightweight, or cut down to 145lb. Having made that move, it was perfect timing that the EFC came in looking for featherweights."
The current Headhunters Fighting Championship lightweight champion - who has a record of 4-1 - has fought on some decent shows, not least Scotland's On Top. But in his dealings so far with the EFC, 26-year-old Henry has been blown away.
"They are on a completely different level," he says. "They run things very professionally and they seem to spend a lot of money on promotion and on getting the best opponents they can for their fighters. To be flying me and a cornerman over from Scotland shows they mean business. I've signed a six-fight contract and I'm very excited about facing Botha.
"He's a wrestler, so I know what he'll be looking to do. But if thinks he can hold me down and have his way with me, he's very sadly mistaken. I've obviously been working wrestling a lot and I've been sparring with top level guys. Stevie Ray is in the UFC now and he'a among the best out there right now."
Even in his last fight - for the Headhunters belt against Davie Galbraith in December - Henry showed an improved wrestling game, dominating the grind against his experienced opponent. Since his switch to Higher Level, those skills will only have improved further.
He adds: "I'm very pleased with how I'm coming along and I'm confident of beating Botha in front of his own fans. The fight will be aired on ESPN Live Player online so people back in Scotland can watch it live. I want to thank everyone at Higher Level for their help and also Dave Jenkins at Sports Therapy Scotland for sponsoring me. We can't do this without the help of sponsors and it is much appreciated."
Henry is still on the lookout for more sponsors before he heads out to South Africa next weekend to begin promoting the fight. He can be contacted on email address dchenry4445@gmail.com
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