MIXED MARTIAL ARTS
BARRY McGuigan can expect fireworks when he steps into the cage with charismatic Glasgow fighter Brian Hyslop next month.
For Hyslop is desperate to triumph in a bout that could so easily have taken place three decades ago.
McGuigan, of team EFR in Ireland, of course shares a name with the Irish boxing legend and Hyslop’s father, also Brian, was matched against McGuigan the boxer in the early 1980s, only for the fight to be called off when McGuigan moved on to become a pro.
Brian Hyslop Sr was a Scottish featherweight champion at amateur level when McGuigan was Irish amateur champion and the two were scheduled to meet.
Hyslop Jr comes from a boxing family that goes back to his great-grandfather.
His younger brother Conor is alsoo a rising star in the amateur game.
It’s no surprise then that Hissy, as he is known, displays remarkable boxing ability in the cage, but that’s not to say he hasn’t got a full arsenal of MMA skills to call upon.
His Brazilian jiu-jitsu is highly polished and he is almost impossible to submit, as previous opponent Darren Gilchrist found out in the pair’s fight at Sportfight Scotland 13 a few weeks ago.
Brian said: “I’m fighting Barry McGuigan at On Top 2. I get asked jokingly if it’s the Irish boxer Barry McGuigan, but the funny thing is this guy really is an Irish boxer. He’s got a lot of experience in boxing and MMA.
“My dad was meant to fight the original Barry McGuigan during his boxing career but it didn’t go ahead.
“Barry’s career took off just when the fight was meant to happen and my dad fought and beat another Irish guy instead.
“My dad went on to have a good career as a pro, too.
“It’s a really strange coincidence but I’ve just got to get on with the job.”
Hyslop, a member of Glasgow’s Griphouse Gym and the Dinky Ninja Fight Team, defeated Gilchrist by unanimous decision in Scotland’s first pro flyweight MMA fight and he believes the weight class will expand rapidly over the next 12 months.
With his pro record at 1-0, he knows he faces a wily customer in McGuigan but he doesn’t believe his lack of pro MMA fights amounts to a disadvantage in the experience stakes.
“I’ve been fighting since I was 12,” he said. “I was boxing back then and I’ve got a good semi-pro MMA record, so McGuigan doesn’t have all that much more fighting experience than me.
“He’s been fighting at pro for longer, but I’m ready for it. He’ll have his hands full.”
Hyslop versus McGuigan is just one of a host of thrilling pro MMA bouts at On Top 2, which takes place at Bellahouston Leisure Centre on Saturday, June 18.
On Top Promotions’ first event, at a sold-out Kerrydale Suite at Celtic Park, was one of the finest Scottish-produced MMA cards ever assembled, and promoter Tam Collins is sticking to his ethos of only pro bouts.
Bellahouston holds around 1500 spectators and tickets range in price from £25 upwards.
The event could see Scotland’s two top-ranked welterweights meet as John Quinn and Steven Ray are taking part in a four-man tournament for the On Top welterweight title and a £2000 prize.
Mervyn Mulholland from Ireland and Sweden’s Nicholas Musoke make up the four-man event, with the semi-final fights being drawn on the day.
Also on the card is a bout between Team Mataleon’s Graham Armstrong and Claes Beverlov from Sweden as well as a return to action for wrestling specialist Kieran Malone, who takes on Kyle Cassidy.
For full fight card and tickets, visit:
www.ontoppromotions.co.uk
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