Wearsider close to joining world’s top 15 heavyweight MMA fighters
Written by Rob Smith on 8th October 2024
Wearside MMA fighter Mick Parkin is starting to make a name in the world’s biggest promotion, Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Sunderland fighter Mick Parkin is on the cusp of breaking into the top 15 heavyweights in the world’s biggest mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
The North East has had lots of success in the regional MMA scene, but not much representation in the UFC. For a long while the region’s only UFC fighter was Davey Grant, from Bishop Auckland.
But now Parkin is making waves in UFC.
Parkin is a heavyweight fighter from Sunderland who fights out of the TFT MMA club in Seaham. He started his career on the North East regional scene fighting in promotions like Rise And Conquer and Combat Challenge North East.
Parkin’s rise
He had his first amateur fight back in 2016, and quickly amassed an amateur record of 6-0-1.
After spending three years in the amateur scene, Parkin decided to go pro in July 2019 and won his pro debut via an 18-second knockout. Due to fight cancellations, he didn’t return to the cage until April 2021, when he won again via a first-round stoppage.
Parkin went on to win his next couple of fights and was then 4-0 as a professional fighter. His life then changed forever when he got the opportunity to fight on the Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS). DWCS is a show created by the UFC to give fighters the chance to win a UFC contract.
This opportunity had come very early on in Parkin’s career and some wondered if he was being rushed – but he answered those questions by winning his fight in the first round and securing a UFC contract.
UFC success
Parkin’s UFC career has been an interesting one so far: he has come under criticism for his lack of decisive UFC finishes: his first three wins were all by decision and none of the fights were particularly fan favourites.
The UFC returned to the UK for UFC 304 in Manchester in July and Parkin was put onto the card against Poland’s Łukasz Brzeski. Parkin came into the fight a heavy favourite and justified this with a first-round knockout, securing not only the biggest win of his career but also his first UFC knockout.
This resulted in Parkin getting a performance bonus of an additional $50,000, a truly life-changing moment for the fighter.
He is now waiting for his next fight, which will almost definitely be against a ranked opponent. In his UFC 304 post-fight interview Parkin said: “The next fight will probably be a top 15 opponent.”
He has floated the idea of a fight with New Zealand’s Tai Tuivasa on his social media.