James ”Scraps” Saville (10-3 MMA) är den unge britten som kommer till Sverige den 6 maj för att utmana regerande fjäderviktsmästare Martin Svensson på The Zone FC – Demolition i Lisebergshallen i Göteborg.
Inför titelmatchen tyckte vi att det var lämpligt att växla några ord med Saville och vad passar då bättre än en ”Fighterfemma?
If you meet somebody at a party who never heard of you, how do you describe yourself?
Describing myself at a party, a pretty calm guy, I’d say I was a artist before a fighter. I’m more interested the spiritual side of martial arts and the mental processes, than the physical. I always say if you can have peace of mind in a fight, were can peace not exist, keeping cool and rising above violence and not losing your head to the heat of the moment is key. If we can practice this and show the masses this art in its pure form, we are on the road to world peace. Spiritual revolution through ”fighting”, who would have thought it?
How come you started with MMA?
I was doing taekwondo at the time and I was around 13 when I saw my first UFC. I was blown away by it, I admired what these guys were doing. They were getting far out, pushing boundaries, not only psychically but mentally. I was hooked it excited, I wanted to be a warrior too. Then with no direct MMA-training I had my first amateur fight at 14 years old with my dad and granddad as corner men.
Do you have a upcoming fight right now?
Yep, taking on Martin Svensson in Gothenburg for the Zone FC featherweight title. Really excited about fighting him, hes a big dude probably one of the biggest feather weights out there. Yeah, I always liked the idea of David and Goliath so this is a perfect fight for me.
If you could change one thing about your career, what would it be?
Nothing, I’m happy with everything. Sure I have a few losses on my record but beat downs are humbling and I guess I’m thankful for them.
What was the happiest moment in your MMA career?
My recent fight in New Zealand. I was traveling with my girlfriend around the islands for five months, I didn’t have a gym, I was just sparring and training with mother nature, swimming in rivers, lakes, the sea, running up mountains and along beaches, lots of shadow boxing. I had a lot of anxiety and fear was starting to take over. I was facing the New Zealand champion and I’d never had a fight without a camp, So I was a bit worried. I was doing a lot of meditation and visualization, the slow process of breaking down my ego and my fears. It was a tough but amazing journey. I ended up winning the fight by TKO in the first 20 seconds. And I remember my girlfriend waiting outside the cage I took her by hand and walked back up the entrance ramp to the changing rooms. We were both like ”what the fuck just happened”. This was my happiest moment.
