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06 Sept 2025

It's a waiting game for Jumbo

MMA fighter Jordan O'Neill

MMA fighter Jordan O'Neill captured four belts across three different weight classes during his amateur tenure.

Local MMA fighter Jordan O'Neill is ready to burst onto the professional scene... if he could just get a fight.
He had a pro debut lined up for this coming Saturday evening In Derry, but his opponent pulled three weeks ago, leaving his coach - Rodney Moore of Next Generation - scratching his head.
The County Antrim coach has taken several fighters to the UFC, including Norman Parke and Rhys McKee, and he sees bags of potential in the Dungiven man.
"It's getting frustrating now because a number of brilliant opportunities for Jordan have fallen through," said Rodney.
"I know he's going to be a force in any renowned promotion, but it's getting him on a platform to show his skills, that's the frustrating thing."
Jordan was initially due to make his professional debut on the world renowned Cage Warriors promotion against Paddy McCorry, but an unfortunate knee injury put the County Derry fighter out of contention.
It looks like something will show up soon though.
"Yes we're in talks with a few people," said Rodney.
"We have a couple of European shows in the pipeline for May (Levels Fight League, Amsterdam) and then maybe Hexagon MMA in France in June. "We’re also in talks with Brave F.C and KSW. It’s just getting him that debut fight first and then we go from that."
For now, Jordan has to settle for a submission grappling match on the show he was due to make his MMA Pro debut on, Real Fighting Championships in Derry. That comes on Saturday.
Jordan says he'll just take it as it comes: "It's definitely frustrating, but I know Rodney will take what's right for me.
"In the meantime, I'm happy to take these grappling matches to stay active.
"I don't know much about my opponent, other than that he's a bit heavier than me and comes from Fight Academy Ireland. That's one of the top MMA clubs in Ireland, so I'd expect him to be well coached and ready.
"My sights are set on making a big impact in Pro MMA, but I'm grateful for these opportunities in the meantime."
Jordan is no stranger to gold in the amatuer ranks, lighting up the MMA scene after a successful period in boxing.
After losing his first three fights, the Dungiven native proceeded to carve out one of the most successful amateur runs ever in Irish MMA.
The commonly named “Jumbo” captured four belts across three different weight classes during his latter amateur tenure.
The Cage Legacy/Clan Wars/Chaos FC/Cage Conflict amateur champion’s record resets to 0-0 as he transitions to making his pro debut.

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