Connor McFarland, a 21-year-old Culpeper resident, poses after winning his first career mixed martial arts fight at Cagezilla 62 in Manassas on Aug. 21.
McFarland defeated New York’s Matthew Santangelo by submission in 26 seconds.
Connor McFarland fought his way through a gamut of emotions in the days leading up to his professional mixed martial arts debut, with anxiety over the bout’s eventual outcome being chief among them.
As it turned out, things worked out better than he ever could’ve imagined.
McFarland defeated Matthew Santangelo via submission in a brisk 26 seconds at Cagezilla 62 at the Salisbury Center in Manassas on Aug. 21.
“I am supper happy with the results,” said McFarland, a 21-year-old who trains at Mountain Kim Martial Arts dojo in Culpeper. “I’m also very relieved to have the self-induced pressure of winning my first fight lifted off my shoulders.”
McFarland used a face crank to make Santangelo tap out. The bout was the shortest on the 10-match card.
“I’m very proud of that,” McFarland said of the quick result. “To perform that way in my first fight in front of all my supporters, it was really special.”
McFarland’s triumph was, in many ways, the culmination of a decade-long journey. He began his martial arts training at Mountain Kim in 2012, initially focusing on taekwondo. In 2015, he added Brazilian jiu-jitsu and catch wrestling to his repertoire. Then in 2017, he started kickboxing.
“When I started kickboxing, that’s when I really began doing what would be considered MMA,” said McFarland, who has dabbled in judo and Muay Thai over the years as well. “The biggest thing that interests me about MMA is the blending of different styles of martial arts. To practice one style is a great learning experience, but to test myself by taking the best parts of various styles and mixing them together gives me a potential sense of perfection that isn’t really attainable otherwise.”
