BRIDGWATER’s own VALOR World Heavyweight Champion bare knuckle boxer, Mark Godbeer is scheduled to get back into the ring in a gloved boxing match in October.

The fight scheduled for October 30 in Torquay will be against Damage Ora who is well known in the boxing circle as a heavy hitter.

The current world champ is using the gloved fight to get back to peak level after a long COVID enforced hiatus.

Godbeer has made it clear that all funds that he earns from the fight and sponsorship will be donated to a local gym in Bridgwater in order to give young boxers and martial artists a better chance of a career in the sport.

“I want to give back to the community that helped me get to where I did, I want to give young fighters better equipment and a better chance,” said Godbeer.

The former UFC fighter has a very busy schedule coming up, after the gloved fight in October, Godbeer is promoting a fight night at Bridgwater & Albion Rugby Club on November 30.

After that, he heads to Florida to defend his bare-knuckle boxing world title in January, a fight that Godbeer says will be the hardest fight of his career.

“I am looking forward to my first title defence, but I am expecting it to be one of the toughest fights of my career, my opponent Lavar Johnson is renowned for his knockout ability.”

“This will be easily the decider for who is the best bare-knuckle boxer in the world, no doubt,” Godbeer said.

With two fights in the schedule ahead, Godbeer has resumed intense levels of training, he says two sessions a day sometimes six days a week.

“I have to keep my body in as good condition as possible, I train twice a day on occasion six days a week and I do that because realistically I have a few years left in my career.”

“I need to stay at the best physical condition I can.”

It is important to recognise Godbeer’s UFC career, where he fought on fight cards with some of the biggest names in mixed martial arts.

Bridgwater Mercury: Mark Godbeer Valor Champ

When he was 25, he decided to turn his life around and start fight training, only eight years later he reached the pinnacle, making his UFC debut.

“On my 25th birthday I was in the pub with my mates watching UFC, at the time I was headed in the wrong direction in my life, I decided then and there I wanted to fight in the UFC,” Godbeer said.

“I said to my mate in the pub, I am going to do that, pointing at the UFC on the television, he laughed, I said just you wait.”

“I started training, hard, then had a fight about six months later, at Bridgwater Football Club, and then within two years I turned professional.”

Godbeer beat all the top prospects in the UK and before long he was the top ranked fighter in the UK, he then fought with BAMMA and became the BAMMA Heavyweight Champion.

He defended that title twice and then incredibly, only eight years after beginning training, he got the call up to the UFC.

“Fighting saved me, as much as a cliché that is, it really did,” Godbeer said.

“It gave me focus and drive, I wanted to train to get better and I dedicated myself to that.”

Bridgwater Mercury:

Despite travelling the world for his fighting career and gaining acclaim everywhere he has gone, Godbeer has never lost his love for the town of Bridgwater.

“Until you have travelled the world you don’t realise how lucky we are in Bridgwater.”

“The people are great, the town itself is great, Bridgwater on the whole is a place I love,” Godbeer said.

“I have stayed and trained in places all over the world, but that feeling of coming home is unbeatable, I love the place!”

To stay up to date with his upcoming fights you can follow Mark Godbeer on social media, or you can keep an eye on the Bridgwater Mercury where will cover his battles in detail, with direct line to Mark.