MMA champ rises above bullies in ring
DETERMINED: Denver sees himself abroad
A Robertson mixed martial artist is determined to show others that they can rise above their circumstances and battle bullying by continuing to shine in the octagon.
The 24-year-old specializes in Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and since his first fight in 2018, he has a perfect record of three victories from three fights, with his last one clinched on April 10 when he won a bantamweight bout in an aggressively packed 29 seconds.
Denver Isaacs says: “When I was younger and growing up in Robertson, my father Prince and elder brother Edward used to train me in mixed martial arts.
“I always loved karate and when we moved to Franschhoek, to finish high school, my brother and another friend of ours used to act out the skills we saw on TV.
“The other children used to call us the ‘Karate Kids’ and even when we were in matric we still used to go to a tree and practice our skills.”
He says they got teased for “playing ninjas” but he was also bullied.
“I was shorter than the other boys in my class, I was light of complexion and I have green eyes so they always used to make fun of me and even bully me.
“I eventually had to play with the younger boys because I was being bullied so much.”
He says it taught him that he has to continue fighting for his dreams, plus he was determined not to fall into the trap of alcohol and drugs and working on a farm.
After school, in 2018, he became a professional fighter and now studies a psychology course at an institute in Observatory where he now lives.
“One day I want to end up in the UFC and on the international stage,” he vows.