Mark Baskin’s (right) sporting path has taken a dramatic detour away from his days playing junior football for Maccabi. The 23-year-old is one of the gutsy combatants on the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) circuit, and won a bout on the “Elite Fight Night” card at Penrith last week. It kept his 100 per cent record intact over three contests.

Mark Baskin RHis fight went three rounds against a tricky opponent, who escaped Baskin’s clutches when he thought he might have won the bout in the first round. Baskin described the experience as a “good test to push through” after his other wins had not gone the distance.

In MMA, you can’t just excel in one discipline; to survive, you have to be versed in everything from boxing, wrestling to Brazilian jiu jitsu. Tough stuff – especially when you ask about the rules and find out that, well, there aren’t really that many. “Elbows, punches, knees are allowed standing up … only punches and knees when on the ground,” Baskin explained.

MMA has become a popular training method in Sydney, triggered by the success of the Resnekov brothers, Dylan and Liam, who were in Baskin’s corner for his fight.

Mark is studying exercise science with commerce at university and has embarked on a successful career in the fitness industry. He leads from the front, practicing what he preaches. Since getting in the ring isn’t for everyone, he’s using his experiences and knowledge to help others by devising strength and conditioning and weight loss programs through his Mark Baskin Personal Training business (see offer at top of newsletter).  “We’ve had great results,” he enthused. “It’s a unique way of training”.

And don’t worry … you won’t have to spar with him in the gym.