Sam King Talks MMA Debut: "I Can't Imagine It Going Any Better, Really"

Prior to Sam King’s amateur mixed martial arts debut, the Regina, Saskatchewan product had his sights set on one day making his living in the world of professional mixed martial arts.

If King’s first match—a stunning first round knockout victory over Chris Berry ­­­­­­at Saturday Night Fights 4 in Regina on Dec. 3rd—is any indication, ­­­ the prospect of someday collecting cheques in the sport may be well within the 20-year-old featherweight’s reach.

AJ Scales, King’s head trainer at Complete Martial Arts and Fitness in the Queen City, most likely agrees with this assertion.

“Sam’s debut was beautiful,” Scales said with a laugh. “I couldn’t be more proud, to be honest.”

“It felt amazing—it really did,” King added. “To get the knockout felt great ... I can’t imagine it going any better, really.”

Following his introduction to amateur mixed martial arts competition, King is yet to reassess his career prospects in the highly-competitive sport.

“In the sport, my goals are still the same as they were before this fight,” King noted. “I’m still looking to make a career out of it. That’s been my goal for a while and that hasn’t changed.”

Although King is anxiously awaiting his return to the ring and got back to training within 48 hours of his impressive debut, the young 145-pound competitor insists that he is in no real hurry.

“I’m still looking for the next one,” King said. “I’m back to training and I just want to take it one step at a time. I’m going to wait for AJ to set something up. I’m going to wait, because it’s really up to him right now.”

Although nothing is set in stone, King will most likely return to action at Saturday Night Fights 5 in May—a prospect that admittedly excites the young mixed martial artist.

Looking past his second bout, both he and Scales insist that King has what it takes to accomplish his goal of one day making a living as a professional mixed martial artist.

“It will take a lot of hard work, for sure, but I’m committed to going to the next level in this sport,” King, who travelled to Thailand to train at the famed Tiger Muay Thai academy earlier this year, explained. “I’m willing to do whatever it takes, really.”

“(Sam) has decided that he’s going to make a go of this,” Scales, a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and undefeated mixed martial artist, recently told Bleacher Report. “I’m going to do my best to groom him and help him do exactly what he wants to do with this. He’s started off really well, for sure. I think the future is very bright for Sam.”