“Paul sees what you’re good at and then they’ll work on that,” he said. “That’s what’s so good about this gym. We don’t have just one identity. We are not just one person. I mean, a lot of people, a lot of other gyms, they just have that style, that’s all. So. Here, what you are good at, we will work on it.
As for what lies ahead for the next generation of MMA, Rimmer wants to train a fighter for a UFC title, and Pimblett and McCann are keen to help him achieve that goal. It’s still early days for their journeys to gold, but their current form bodes well.
More than that, however, Rimmer hopes to put his athletes on a path where they can find longevity in the MMA world.
“The impact that I hope to have had on them puts them in a position where they are changing lives and doing what they want to do like me,” he said. “I hope to help them build a career in MMA, which not many people do. People tend to have a fighting career in MMA, but I hope Paddy and Molly will have a career in MMA, whether it’s showing up for coaching, whatever it is, I hope I’ve helped them get to a position where not only are they exceptional fighters, but also personalities that people want to be around.
Hampson and Ventre are two examples of that intent as veterans who became sharp coaches and cornermen.
Overall, the gym is a strong mainstay in both the Liverpool community and the English mixed martial arts community. The breakthrough and ascent is always an exhilarating part of the journey, but it was a hard-earned part built over many, many years of trial, error, and effort. With more eyeballs than ever, Next Generation MMA hopes to continue providing all the help they can to shape the future of English MMA.
“I just feel like the legacy of this gym doesn’t end with me and Paddy. It starts with me and Paddy,” McCann said. place, style and coaching philosophy that they have, they got it right with us and they got it wrong with us, but what they did was they learned from us and our performances and our struggles. They will leave this city better than when they entered it.