Clayton Schira and Sheldon LeBlanc are both excited to represent their hometown in the upcoming Prestige Fight Club event, “Atonement”, which will be held at Crescent Point Place on Saturday, Oct. 24.
Cord Crowthers, director of fighter relations and CEO of Prestige FC, said that the entertainment value of this event is much like bringing the world’s attention to Weyburn.
“We will have top athletes from many different places here in Weyburn, competing in our event,” said Crowthers.
He said that the ‘Atonement’ event is designed for all ages. “It will be a nice night out. We encourage everyone to check it out.”
“We are really lucky to have lined up all the cards we have for this fight, it will be the biggest show in Canadian history — outside of the UFC.”
As for Clayton and Sheldon, it will be a great opportunity to represent their hometown at Crescent Point Place.
“I’ve been involved in the sport for about five years now,” said Schira.
“Initially it was to learn some new skills and to get in shape but as I got further into it I liked the challenge that competition brought.”
“I expect this fight to be my most difficult fight to date. I don’t know a lot about my opponent, but he comes from a good camp and he has some mixed martial arts wins so I expect him to push me to my limits,” said Schira.
Clayton said that the most challenging part of mixed martial artist is trying to maintain focus. “It is especially hard when your opponent is pressuring you with a possible submission or heavy strikes. Being able to think and work your way out of those situations without panicking is the biggest challenge.”
Right before Clayton heads into the ring, he likes to relax, stay hydrated and visualize all possible challenges that could arise in the fight. “I like work my way out of those challenges in my mind.”
One of the aspects of being a mixed martial arts fighter is dedication to a lot of training. “I don’t think people realize the hours of training and dedication required to compete in an MMA fight.”
“The hours in the gym training technique, strength and endurance adds up to a huge amount of time. It takes its toll and is hardest on your family because you spend so much time at the gym,” said Schira.
Clayton considers himself a well-rounded fighter who is able to adapt to an opponent as the fight progresses. “I do a lot of strength and conditioning training. I prefer to do that in the morning and then do technique and fight training in the evenings.
“Watching my diet and getting enough rest is also an important aspect of fight preparation,” said Schira.
He also has many hobbies in addition to being a mixed martial artist. “My hobbies are be upland bird hunting, fishing and riding horses with my wife and daughters. I also love to play guitar and sing.”
As for Sheldon LeBlanc, he is hoping for a victory for hometown fans.
LeBlanc first started as a wrestler in high school and was pretty good at it.
“Later on when I started watching UFC with friends, they said I would be good at it. So I found a local gym in Saskatoon,” said LeBlanc. “I’ve been involved in the sport for eight years.”
He said that the most challenging aspect is trying to find the time to train. It is a balance between his family, and working long hours at his job. Other hobbies for LeBlanc include spending time with family and competing in Crossfit competitions.
“I try to train at Crossfit six days a week and then do mixed martial arts training three to four days a week,” said LeBlanc.
When it comes to some key moves inside the ring, Sheldon said that he tends to favour the key lock, since he has won three of his previous fights by using this move.
Sheldon noted that there are a lot of sacrifices that fighters makes, plus they depend on support from their family, as well as teammates when it comes to being prepared for any of their fights.
Another important mandate for Prestige Fight Club is that they donate funds back to local sports organizations. Prestige FC will donate 100 per cent of their bar proceeds to the Weyburn Red Wings.
Plus, they will donate $100 from every VIP table and $5 from every ticket back to the Weyburn Mixed Martial Arts Club.
“Every ticket sale does help. Plus, the event itself is a lot of fun! In addition to the fights, there is also food, mingling and a great show put on.”
