PICTURES: HMAC Inverness head coach and Bellator fighter Ross Houston believes new facility will help club reach top of mixed martial-arts
HMAC Inverness head coach Ross Houston believes the club’s new facility will help them produce world class athletes.
While not moving far from their previous Thornbush Road base – only next door into the former Blackbridge Furnishings building – it is a significant upgrade in terms of space available.
That means more classes will be able to run simultaneously, and bigger and better equipment can be accommodated.
Houston has labelled the project as “HMAC 2.0” as he believes it will help the club, their athletes and mixed martial-arts as a whole in the Highlands to brand new heights with some of the biggest companies in the world.
“I believe this new facility is going to produce the Highlands’ first UFC athletes and I think we are going to get some boys and girls competing for ONE Championships as well,” he explained.
“My main focus is producing competition-level athletes, and my goal now is to produce some UFC and One Championship athletes and show that the Highlands can punch well above its weight on the international scene.
“It’s going to do a lot of things. We have a lot more space which is going to allow us to run more classes in primetime hours which means we can account for beginners and competition-level athletes all at the same time.
“Some of our classes in the old place would have 70 or 80 people in them, and they would be packed in like sardines. The move of premises came at the right time, because it gives everyone a bit more space to work in.
“During the winter the old place could get pretty cold and damp too, which put people off for three or four months of the year. This new facility is a much more comfortable space and environment to be in. We’ve got showers and stalls, we’re going to get a sauna in there, so it has come at the right time.
“Our previous place was probably better than 90 per cent of facilities in Scotland, but now we’ve really got a nice spot and a specialist spot.”
It has been a long process to build up to this point for Houston and HMAC.
The professional fighter returned to the Highlands a decade ago, following in his family’s footsteps as his grandfather used to run Muir of Ord Amateur Boxing Club.
From there, he forged a successful career in the cage himself by becoming a Cage Warriors champion and signing for Bellator, all while building his own club.
“It’s taken a long time, over 10 years since I returned to the Highlands,” Houston reasoned.
“I built up a club from being small, and it has snowballed over the years.
“That is down to the growth of the sport internationally and a lot of hard work from all the members and coaches, parents and the success our athletes have had.
“It’s a nice feeling. On the open day on Sunday I just had a seat and looked across the room, and there were maybe 150 people in there.
“I didn’t have to do anything. I just looked around and there were men and women training, parents chatting as the kids were playing about, and it was class to see where the sport and the club has come to from where it started.
“It’s a really great feeling, and I’m proud of what I’ve achieved alongside a lot of help along the way.
“I’m proud of what the club and everyone involved in it has achieved, and I think this new facility is going to do great things for the future of martial arts in the Highlands.”
