Tomas Mozny

At the age of 16 he was persuaded to join his cousin at kickboxing. His cousin was a coach. He enjoyed it and carried on with it. After high school he went to vocational training (technical college) to be a cook and at the weekends worked as a bouncer, all the while pursuing his training.

He met with considerable success as an amateur, winning the junior championships in Slovakia twice and the senior championships four times. He also placed third in junior championships at European level.

As his career played out he found himself plagued with injuries – a slipped disc in his back, lingering rib and shin issues – but got back on track and kept working at his goal. “If one wants to achieve something, they must work hard and fight for their goals and dreams,” he says.

When you're not training, his time is dedicated to his family. He says his pet hate is “arrogant, false people, people who pretend to be something they are not.”