Colton Boxell picked up a nomination for Submission of the Year in BTC Fight Promotion’s 2nd Annual MMA Award show. And in just his second pro fight, and first victory no less. While the welterweight is young in his career, he fought current UFC welterweight and former LFA champ Brendan Allen as an amateur, among other opponents.
Boxell’s heel hook win came midway through the second round at BTC 7. With the awards show going down this past weekend at the Waterfront Hotel in Burlington, Ontario, we had a chance to speak to the fighter out of Medicine Hat, AB.
Colton Boxell (Submission of the Year nominee)
Being at the Awards show: “It’s pretty cool because I get to hang out with the guys. See my co-workers basically…. Seeing friendly faces and having good conversations.”
Being nominated for Submission of the year: “I defeated Jeremiah Curtright at BTC 7 by heel hook. An inside heel hook within two and a half minutes. It was a fairly well-rehearsed heel hook and I think it was deserving of submission of the year.
I went that way out to Montreal and I trained leg locks just repeatedly… What actually wound up happening in the fight is I resorted to my day one heel hook. The very first leg entanglement I was ever shown. I was a white belt just getting into grappling and they showed me this heel hook. That’s the one I wound up going back to. All those endless reps of this advanced thing right? Putting it all together just came back to day one in the most savage fashion I could possibly imagine. Crushed that guy’s heel like I would a soda can. ”
2nd Annual BTC MMA Awards
The Ontario MMA scene being revitalized: “I didn’t know Ottawa years ago. So I only know it now with a pretty good crew and some stuff happening now. Ottawa’s a good scene…..I think it’s coming together pretty well so far. MMA is about the grind and the grind applies to the day to day more than just being in the gym.”
Next fight/ goals for the year: “I fought three times in six months last year. The body’s actually feeling pretty well put together. I took some time off, two months or so at the end of the year…I think if I were to get that same kind of three fights in a year. Even two would be good but three would be enough to actually start building the resume. That’s the kind of work ethic I want to demonstrate.”
