05/02/2026
Wishing the very best of luck tomorrow at the IMMAF European MMA Championships in Belgrade 🇷🇸💪
Sport can be an incredible thing for young people — building confidence, discipline, resilience and community. It can shape identity in the best possible way.
But it can also be pressurising and stressful, especially in weight-category sports, where performance, expectations and body weight can all collide.
I work with young athletes right through to international level. I don’t promote weight cutting in developing athletes — but I also understand that in elite pathways, weight categories can sometimes be part of the sport.
That’s where responsibility matters.
For young athletes, the priority should always be:
• health
• growth & development
• performance
• a positive relationship with food
• long-term progress
Not fear. Not restriction. Not suffering to make a number.
If weight categories are involved, the goal should be growing into the right category over time, not shrinking into one for a single event.
Enya is an absolute pleasure to work with. She’s becoming quite the chef, learning how she can make her own tasty recipes such as bangers and mash but still fuelling herself well and not having any huge ‘making weight’ stresses.
Good luck, Enya — go enjoy the experience and show what you can do.
Strong > small. Always.
