TWO young Muay Thai fighters from Bradford are continuing to shine after being named world champions for their age categories.
Brothers Cade and Logan Smith, who are 10 and 14 respectively, competed in Venice last weekend for England, and the pair both came back with the prestigious WBC world title.
It’s not the first time that the Smith brothers have claimed world titles, with the duo having already taken world level Brazilian jiu-jitsu belts home in the past.
The talented youngsters have now completed the set having been victorious in Muay Thai, but the scale of this tournament was astonishing, with over 90 countries and 600 fighters in attendance.
Alex Smith, the extremely proud father of the fighting duo, said: “It was a fantastic trip to Venice and we couldn’t have asked for anything more.
“I’ve witnessed my boys become world champions at their age group in the past, but this one was very special. To get two world level titles in one tournament is extra special, and what makes it even better is the fact that the titles were WBC, which of course is a standout belt.
“I’m a very proud dad after seeing them perform as well as they did. It makes those longer trips to places such as Venice extra special. Their grandad also got to see their accomplishments too.”
The brothers, who train at Bad Company for Thai boxing and at Gracie Barra for Brazilian jiu-jitsu, have always had a keen eye for combat sport.
Alex said: “I’ve got three sons; Cade and Logan were the only two competing in Venice on this occasion, but I’ve got an eldest, Lucas, 17, who’s already a world champion at Thai boxing.
“Being my eldest son, he started first and got started at 4-years-old. He and Logan started off with Thai boxing but they both switched to Brazilian jiu-jitsu when Cade turned four.
“Cade took the sport in its stride and he really focussed on the Brazilian jiu-jitsu aspect of fighting for the first four years, and he’s now been crowned a world champion on three occasions in his age group.
“It’s been a brilliant journey so far for them and I can’t wait to see where it takes them because they have so much drive, energy and determination to give to combat sport.”
The two eldest brothers, Lucas and Logan, have been selected to fight for team England for the MMA English team in the next months and their father confirmed that the sport is one that his sons may look towards in the future.
He said: “They show a lot of interest in multiple combat sports, but I think my two eldest are gravitating towards MMA.
“It’s a sport that they love watching, training in and I can see them pushing for a career in it, for sure.”
MMA, also known as mixed martial arts, is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting.
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