‘I’ve dedicated the last four years of my life to this’ - A mixed martial arts fighter from Dereham has overcome injuries to enter the professional ranks

Scott Butters has overcome major injuries and is now on the cusp of going professional as an MMA fighter. Picture: Brett King (Image: Archant)

Scott Butters, 29, is five weeks away from a major comeback fight, which will be his first in 18 months.

It will also be one of his last semi-professional fights before he goes professional.

'I need to put in a good performance so my coach can see that while I have had some time off, I've been working hard and I'm ready,' he said.

Mr Butters is so confident in his comeback on September 9 at the Almighty Fighting Championship in Leeds that he says he believes the fight could be stopped in the first round.

The ambitious fighter began learning mixed martial arts four and a half years ago as a way to improve his fitness.

He said: 'I was fed up of drinking every weekend and I wanted to get my fitness level up. I saw some adverts and went along to see what it was all about, within the first class I knew this was for me and it was great for my fitness.

'I didn't get into it for the fighting but after about six months that my coach said he thought I could do well so that was when I moved into it. I soon went from amateur to semi-professional and found that it suited my style better and I went five fights undefeated.'

But his success came at the price of two major injuries including a knee injury which was so severe that he needed reconstructive surgery and a nose injury that almost meant giving up fighting entirely.

However, having now made a full recovery he is not going to let the injuries deter him from achieving his dream, and he plans to enter the professional ranks in November.

'I'm feeling nervous but I'd be more worried if I wasn't as it is good to have nerves. But I'm not really thinking of the injuries if I'm honest and my knee feels stronger than ever. The injuries have made me change my game plan from how I used to fight but I am confident in my skills.

'I've dedicated the last four years of my life to this. I train four to five days a week, I eat rice every day, and I don't drink. For me this was never about money, I do it because it is something I really enjoy. I couldn't do it without the support of my partner Danni Folan, without her I wouldn't be able to do what I do.'