Autistic MMA fighter Jordan Scully has been chosen to be the representative of Ireland at the Adult Mixed Martial Arts World Championship in Abu Dhabi on 24th – 29th January.
Scully’s MMA career has been on the rise since he won the silver medal at the IMMAF Youth Championship in Bulgaria in August last year.
To enter the Adult Mixed Martial Arts World Championship, he already raised €2500 through a GoFundMe campaign that was set up by his gym.
“I am an 18-year-old man and I have autism. I am so proud of myself for getting to this level, winning silver at the previous youth world championships and I hope to make it to the UFC,” Scully wrote on the campaign page.
Scully has been training MMA since the age of 13 at SBG Tullamore. His dedication and determination earned him praises from the coaches of his gym.
“He is so dedicated. We literally have to kick him out of the gym every night. He’s here morning, noon, and night. He is brilliant,” said one of the coaches, Jamie Houlihan.
“It is a huge honor for him. He has been with us for the last five years since he was thirteen. He has been competing for the guts of that time. Any sort of competition he could get into, he was in.”
Jamie also believed Scully has a bright future ahead and might be fighting in the UFC in a couple of years.
“He has had his own challenges. He has focused himself on MMA and dedicated himself to it. He has created a life for himself and hopefully a future for his family. You can be guaranteed that Jordan will be in the UFC in the next three to four years,” Jamie continued.
Scully will be another name in a short list of MMA fighters representing the autistic community.
Invicta FC fighter Serena ‘The Southpaw Outlaw’ DeJesus identifies as autistic and is currently on a three-fight win streak along with UFC Veteran John “Doomsday” Howard who is currently fighting for Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Eagle FC.