Human beings in a mob. What’s a mob to a King?
For years, Cage Warriors legend Luke Riley reigned as King of the BEC. Each and every time he strapped on the Famous Yellow Gloves, the mob gathered. Fight by fight the Widnes man blew the roof off the venue; dismantling foe-after-foe as legions of fans became enraptured by the ballet of glorious violence.
Adoration became worship and any remaining non-believers were converted blow-by-blow, absorbing the adrenaline that permeated the arena via some kind of ethereal osmosis.
At CW 185, Riley fought what was by all accounts his last bout under the CW banner.
It felt like the end of an era.
Yet just as night follows day, that very same evening a young upstart had already declared himself the heir apparent.
“I’m the real fucking deal baby…the best in this promotion! The best!! The best!!! There’s a new king of the BEC now Luke’s gone…it’s Shay Ingram!”
Shay Ingram isn’t the first 21-year-old to make such a bold claim in the throes of adrenaline, and he certainly won’t be the last. But with a combination of physical tools, mental prowess, fighting spirit and a level of self-belief that most of us could only dream of, we could be just days away from taking a knee for the New King of the BEC.
People often conflate the terms ‘young’ and ‘novice’ when it comes to MMA, but the more the sport progresses the less that notion rings true. Ingram is a shining example; barely a shade over two decades old, he already boasts a wealth of experience that simply wouldn’t have been available to those of previous generations.
That’s not to say that it was easy to acquire; despite picking up martial arts at the age of six, it took a couple of white lies to get him into his initial MMA sessions, which he often turned up to decked out in his school uniform.
“We had to lie about my age to get into the local MMA gym, saying I was 13…” he recalled. “I didn’t really get any stick for it to be fair, I mean, I’d been training since I was six, and by the time I went to high school everyone knew I fought anyway because I had an older cousin and I was quite well known. So no, I didn’t get much stick from other kids, they didn’t really care.”
Built somewhat more substantially than the average kid of his age – they didn’t name him ‘The Fridge’ ironically – Ingram has reaped the benefits of being able to mix it up with older, stronger and more experienced men in his formative years as a competitor. One such training partner is Tim Wilde; a mainstay of the UK circuit who will, in a cool twist of fate, return to the promotion on the same evening that Shay next sees action.
“It’s really good being able to train with Tim…” he revealed. “Me and Tim have grown a strong bond over the last two years and it’s really good to just pick his mind about the game as well. He’s been in it so long and he’s much older than me, and I feel like I can take a lot from (him). I can see everything he’s doing right and I’m very honoured to be able to call Tim my friend.”
Wilde isn’t the only known quantity that Ingram has leaned on to sharpen his tools. One of ‘The Fridge’s biggest cheerleaders since embarking on his CW journey is a man who’s been there, seen and done it all.
They say that you should never trust a gangster, but Ingram has a bond with Oban Elliott that runs deep.
“Me and Oban go way back to when I was ten and he was about sixteen, and I was lying about my age to train. We used to train in the local gym in Worcester together.”
Elliott’s journey to the top wasn’t without its ups and downs, but as an athlete who overcame so much both inside and outside of the cage, that’s where his advice becomes so precious. With veterans like Elliott, Wilde and a wealth of other high level training partners in his ear, Ingram has picked up a lifetime’s worth of invaluable tutelage.
But for every time they draped a sweaty arm around his aching shoulders to explain the finer points of a technique…for every time they encouraged him back onto the mat in spite of his burning lungs…the real lesson they were able to impart was around learning to love a sometimes hateful game.
“I had a lot of fights where I didn’t actually enjoy fighting…” Shay admitted. “The night would get to me a lot and be very stressful. Now, I just go out and enjoy it.”
“This is what I want to do for a living…” he emphasised. “You make the walk, you see everyone chanting and cheering for you… What else would I rather do in this world than get in a cage with some shorts and four ounce gloves and test myself against another human?”
Soundbites are ten-a-penny; always have been, always will. There’s more to Ingram’s words than mere bluster though, or the confidence of youth. Tim Wilde will kick any misplaced overconfidence out from under you. Oban Elliott will punch an inflated ego into check.
‘The Fridge’ hasn’t just been relying on those close to him to sharpen his edges. On his Cage Warriors debut, he faced the 18-4 CW Academy Champion and IMMAF veteran Marc-Philippe Ngatchou, one of Europe’s best credentialled amateurs.
A fan’s dream? No doubt. Unconventional? Most certainly.
When asked to divulge the thought process behind accepting such a challenge, Ingram’s reply was delivered with a steely timbre.
“Let’s be real here mate…” he responded. “I’m in this sport to test myself. If I can’t beat these guys who are the best in Europe, what am I doing in this sport, really?”
“There’s no point me coming in here, beating guys who are 0-3 and pretending that I’m the best guy in the promotion, or in Europe.”
“You’re going to come unstuck eventually, which is the unfortunate reality of having easier matchups earlier on. Throughout my whole career I’ve dealt with top level guys, and I’m going to carry on doing that.”
“I’m not here to take easy fights, I’m not here to take the easy route anywhere.”
It’s a depth and clarity of insight that to be frank, isn’t always possessed by his peers. Plenty have spoken similar pledges, but few breathe life into them and give them substance like Shay has.
And the best part? We’re only two fights into a professional career that even Ingram, with all his documented achievements, obvious potential and respected cheerleaders, isn’t willing to sell you the hype for.
He won’t even tell you why he’s the next King of the BEC…but he has a suggestion.
“You’re going to have to tune in, June 28th, for Cage Warriors 191 Manchester…you’ll find out.”