I'm heavy weight World Champion UFC fighter Ian 'The Machine' Freeman and now instead of putting people in hospital I save them.
The Machine has become a paramedic in Lancashire attending jobs in Preston and Blackpool after retiring from professional fighting
The Machine has become a paramedic in Lancashire attending jobs in Preston and Blackpool after retiring from professional fighting
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00:00 [MUSIC]
00:03 Reflecting back as a fighter, it's made me the man I am today.
00:06 The man who will not quit no matter what.
00:09 >> In the machine, Freeman.
00:15 >> They call him the machine, cuz that's how he fights.
00:17 He goes straight at you.
00:19 >> He likes to punch, he's got heavy hands.
00:21 >> Even bigger than Freeman.
00:22 Freeman's tearing off.
00:24 >> Whether it be in my job, whether it be in my everyday life,
00:29 I will not quit.
00:30 >> I love this guy, he's got so much character.
00:32 >> Anyone gets in front of the machine, I'm gonna come through,
00:34 and I'm gonna kick your ass, boy.
00:36 >> Becoming a martial artist, becoming an MMA fighter has set me on the path
00:40 to doing the right thing the best way I can.
00:42 [MUSIC]
00:56 I live in a little village called Stanley in County Durham.
01:00 I'm originally from Sunderland.
01:01 [SOUND] Come on.
01:05 I had a normal childhood.
01:07 Mother and father who were both very loving,
01:09 brought me up with the morals of being a good person.
01:12 Come on.
01:14 I never set out to be a fighter.
01:17 Things just happen, and I believe in life things happen for a reason.
01:21 I was attacked at the age of 18.
01:23 I was on a metro train coming back from Newcastle.
01:27 When I got off the train, a group of skinheads decided to chase me down, and
01:30 they gave me the biggest kicking of my life.
01:32 My dad was a ABA boxer.
01:36 My father said, right, we need to learn you how to fight.
01:38 He put up a boxing bag,
01:39 learned me how to hit the bag, at the age of 20, became a doorman.
01:43 [MUSIC]
01:47 One night, this mountain of a guy, this six foot five rich shithouse,
01:51 he shouted, Freeman, I want you, get down here.
01:54 We went in the car park and we had one hell of a scrap.
01:57 I did win the fight, but one of the doormen said,
01:59 you should have choked him unconscious.
02:02 And I was like, what, choke him unconscious?
02:04 Jiu-jitsu, it's a martial art.
02:06 You can put people to sleep by the lapels of the shirt.
02:09 You can break the arm by an arm bar,
02:11 which only takes eight pound of pressure to break the arm.
02:13 And I was like, wow, really?
02:14 My friend lent me UFC one, two, and three.
02:18 And I thought, man, this is crazy, different weights, different styles.
02:23 I thought, I wanna try this.
02:25 But I was a little bit older than the normal fighters that are out there.
02:29 I was actually 31 when I had my first fight.
02:31 But I ended a competition I won.
02:34 I beat up a guy called Travis Fulton in England.
02:36 I broke his jaw in the second round via ground and pound.
02:39 >> Freeman.
02:41 >> Now he was supposed to fight in the UFC.
02:43 Because he was injured, he couldn't fight.
02:45 The UFC basically said, right, so who was the last guy to beat Travis Fulton?
02:49 We'll get him in, he can take his place.
02:51 And that was me.
02:53 >> Fighting out of Sutherland, England, Ian "The Machine" Freeman.
03:01 >> My first fight in the UFC was UFC 24 against the leg lock specialist called
03:05 Scott Adams.
03:06 >> The fight, Adams and Freeman, and here we go.
03:10 >> I actually wore wrestling shoes, which to a leg lock specialist,
03:13 that's like putting Velcro on your feet.
03:15 >> Beautiful takedown.
03:17 >> He got me in a leg lock, I escaped it.
03:19 Got me in another leg lock, I escaped that.
03:21 >> Freeman not panicking, seems to know what to do.
03:24 >> But because of the continuous pressure on my ankle, eventually it popped.
03:28 >> There it is, there it is.
03:30 >> Although I lost, I was quite proud of myself.
03:32 I was the first ever British fighter to fight in the UFC.
03:35 >> Ian Freeman wants to put on a different show tonight than he was able
03:42 to put on at UFC 24.
03:44 >> My fight after that was against a guy called Nate Schroeder.
03:47 I didn't like the feeling of a loss, no one likes the feeling of a loss.
03:50 So I said to myself, I'm never gonna lose, not again.
03:53 >> Takedown for Freeman.
03:56 >> He was, at the time, one of the top fighters.
03:58 I've got the side control and I need him twice in the temple.
04:01 >> Working with the knee, and another.
04:02 And Mario Yamazaki stops the fight.
04:05 >> I then got a phone call from Joe Silver.
04:09 He said, I've got some fantastic news for you, Ian.
04:11 UFC's coming to England, first time ever.
04:14 And I'd like you to fight on the card.
04:15 Four weeks into the fight camp,
04:18 I got the devastating news that my father had cancer.
04:22 I said to my mom, I can't fight with this on my mind, it's just too much.
04:25 My mom said, remember the times that your dad took you in the bedroom,
04:31 took you on the punch bag, and he got you ready?
04:33 She went, do this last fight for your dad.
04:38 Go beat him up.
04:40 Come home and give your dad the best going away present you could ever give him.
04:46 So I did.
04:48 >> The world famous Royal Albert Hall hosts tonight
04:54 the most prestigious mixed martial arts competition on the globe.
04:59 >> There was a fellow Brit fighting before me, my good friend Mark Weir.
05:03 Mark Weir was fighting Eugene Jackson.
05:04 Eugene had been knocking everyone out.
05:06 >> My, did you see that high kick?
05:10 And it's over, it is over.
05:13 >> At the time, that was the fastest knockout in UFC history.
05:17 Fancy going out and following that.
05:18 >> The machine, Ian Rees.
05:25 >> I stood on top of the platform.
05:27 I just saw these thousands and thousands of people just screaming and
05:33 cheering for me, and it was like, wow.
05:36 There's no drug on this earth that can give you that kind of feeling.
05:41 >> Let's get it on, come on.
05:42 >> The machine against Frank Mir.
05:46 Sunderland, England zone.
05:48 >> [APPLAUSE] >> Where's your wife?
05:50 He connected.
05:51 >> I caught him with a couple of punches, and
05:53 I think that kind of shocked him a little bit.
05:55 He shot on me, I sprawled pretty good.
05:58 >> And Mir wisely shoots.
06:00 >> And when I put him on his back, that's when machine ground and pound came in.
06:04 >> Freeman caught him with a big right.
06:06 >> If I hit you in the jaw on the ground, you're gonna know about it.
06:09 And from that very first punch, he did not like the power that I gave.
06:13 >> He is teeing off Ian Freeman.
06:17 Mir wants the submission.
06:19 >> Frank Mir had me in one of the most excruciating
06:22 submissions you can have in MMA, which is a heel hook.
06:24 >> Can he get the leverage on the ankle?
06:29 >> I did this fight for my dad.
06:30 There's no way that I was gonna tap to pain.
06:33 I pulled his head forward and I punched him about six or seven times in the face.
06:38 His face was a mess.
06:40 And that's when I thought, right, I'm gonna end this fight.
06:42 And I just dropped a barrage of elbows.
06:45 I just elbowed and elbowed until I split his face to bits.
06:51 >> Mir is in trouble.
06:52 >> Freeman trying to stop it.
06:55 >> You wanna continue?
06:57 >> All right, Tom.
06:58 >> It's over.
07:00 >> McCarthy has stopped the fight.
07:02 Ian Freeman has defeated Frank Mir.
07:06 >> Man, what a beautiful feeling.
07:09 My home crowd, England, thousands and thousands of fans watching live,
07:13 millions watching around the world.
07:15 >> This crowd is indescribable, man.
07:17 >> [APPLAUSE]
07:24 >> This was live on TV.
07:25 At the time, I was still thinking, my dad, he's gonna be watching this.
07:29 >> [APPLAUSE]
07:35 >> My father, he is lying in a hospital bed,
07:37 dying of cancer.
07:39 So for you, daddy, I love you.
07:42 >> I couldn't wait to call home.
07:44 I rang my mom.
07:46 And she said,
07:48 [MUSIC]
07:51 I'm sorry, but your dad died yesterday.
07:55 [MUSIC]
07:58 We didn't wanna tell you because we knew you wouldn't fight.
08:03 I'm really pleased they didn't tell me.
08:04 I would not have thought it was the best fight of my career.
08:09 My dad was there.
08:11 He was watching me.
08:13 And for me to do that for my dad, I think,
08:15 it's the best present I could have ever given.
08:18 >> [APPLAUSE]
08:23 >> Entering the octagon.
08:25 >> It was only about a month or two after UFC 38.
08:28 I fought in the UFC against Andrej Arlovski.
08:31 I'd never lost anyone so close to me.
08:33 I didn't really understand the grieving process.
08:37 I looked at Andrej Arlovski and I said to myself, I don't wanna be here.
08:43 I do not want to be here.
08:45 Needless to say, that fight was a disaster for me.
08:47 >> [INAUDIBLE]
08:55 >> My pride, my stubbornness made me get in there and do it.
08:59 >> Shit, I was a mother of a lot.
09:00 >> Fighting out of Sunderland, England.
09:03 >> My career after UFC 38, some wins, some losses.
09:07 Overall, more wins than losses.
09:09 >> Get conscious.
09:10 >> And a good knee by Ian Freeman.
09:13 >> Fought for British titles again.
09:15 I fought in two different weight categories.
09:17 I fought for the cage-rage heavyweight and the cage-rage light heavyweight titles,
09:21 which I won.
09:22 Never beaten by any British fighter ever.
09:25 My final career total was 20 wins and only seven losses.
09:29 So I did all right, I did all right.
09:30 [MUSIC]
09:40 After UFC 38, after my father passed away, I wanted to give something back to
09:48 the NHS, which is the National Health Service here in the UK.
09:52 I sat for three years doing exams and qualifications and learning how to be a
09:57 medic and I became a qualified EMT, 999 services on an ambulance.
10:02 [MUSIC]
10:05 I work as an EMT in Preston, which is about two hours away from home.
10:10 I go down in a little camper van.
10:12 This is my little baby, my little pride and joy, absolutely love it.
10:15 It's got the fridge, it's got the sink, double bed, beautiful.
10:19 [MUSIC]
10:21 I'll never go short, my little toilet.
10:25 [MUSIC]
10:29 I love this job, I absolutely love being an EMT.
10:33 This is the Life Pack 15, these are the pads that go on, these are the ones that
10:37 shock you if you are having a heart attack and this is what brings you back.
10:43 There's people who genuinely need your help and when people genuinely need your
10:49 help, it gives me a great satisfaction.
10:53 Eight minutes out.
10:55 My friends used to say, when you were a fighter you used to put people in
10:58 hospital and now you take people to hospital.
11:02 This time at least I'm saving lives, not trying to end them.
11:05 [SIREN]
11:10 [MUSIC]
11:16 I'm still involved in MMA, I still have a gym, I still have a team.
11:20 Last ten seconds.
11:22 We have a good fight team, we have guys who are top ranked in the country.
11:26 You ready? Off you go.
11:28 My daughter Kennedy is one of the top coaches here.
11:31 She's a professional fighter herself, three fights unbeaten.
11:35 We train together, although she's a lot lighter than me, a lot younger than me,
11:39 we still spar together and when it's time for her to fight, I'm actually in her corner.
11:44 Everybody I've fought, everybody I've hit on the ground, said they've never been hit so hard.
11:49 Bang, bang, bang, bang.
11:51 Yeah?
11:53 When I have events myself, all my guys fight on my shows, I keep them active.
11:57 So whoever comes to my gym and wants to fight, we teach them, we get them ready
12:01 and we help them compete.
12:06 You know what's going to happen if you mess with me?
12:11 I've been running MMA events for as long as I remember.
12:17 Fight day at Machine MMA event is quite busy.
12:20 Not only do I put the cage up in the morning,
12:22 do the rules meeting for the fighters just before the event,
12:26 I actually MC the event as well.
12:27 Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready for the action?
12:34 My dad actually is the ring announcer tonight, the MC.
12:37 He's really good at his job, so he makes it extra special that he announces them in the ring.
12:41 He gets the crowd all hyped up and ready for the show.
12:49 My daughter, when we have fighters on the event, she is in their corner
12:53 and she's very good at her job.
12:55 Chop his legs, I stop him from coming forward.
12:58 Fighters are both tired, this is just who wants it more.
13:01 Nice hand, down the pipe, Colin. That's it, go on.
13:06 What I enjoy most about doing these events is still keeping my hand in MMA.
13:11 F***ing hell, what a fight.
13:14 In the blue corner, Colin Beesman.
13:19 I told you, that's Machine MMA, baby. Boom.
13:24 When you've done something as exciting as mixed martial arts, it's like a drug.
13:30 So I keep my hand at this just to keep me excited, to keep me going forward.
13:34 But most of all, for the fighters themselves.
13:42 They have a platform to compete and Machine MMA is that platform.
13:58 It was nice to get a call from the UFC and be invited down to London for UFC 286.
14:04 Part of the UFC 30th anniversary. Met a few of my older friends.
14:09 Mark Weal was there.
14:10 How you doing, man?
14:11 Been a while.
14:11 You alright? You good?
14:14 It was good to see Mark again after all these years.
14:17 Me and him, we go back a long way. We've kept in contact through the years.
14:21 My very last fight was on his show as well. He was there in my corner as well.
14:25 We've never lost contact, that's the main thing. He's a good friend.
14:27 You're going to see really nice things about me. Not bad things.
14:30 I can't lie.
14:31 Michael Bispin and I have been friends for 15 years plus.
14:38 We trained together when he was getting ready for UFC and I was kind of semi-retired.
14:42 He was the first Brit to fight for the UFC in the year 2000.
14:53 Please welcome Ian "The Machine" Freeman.
14:56 The reception I got when I went to the question and answers bar,
15:01 it was nice to hear the applause. I even had people shouting "The Machine" from the crowd.
15:05 How do you give yourself that challenge? How do you give yourself that zest now to fill
15:09 the massive gap that was MMA competition?
15:11 You will be surprised at how many fighters have retired and their mental health has deteriorated.
15:17 What have I done? Save lives. Paramedic. That's what I do now. That's my buzz.
15:23 Can I just say something? People always say that I was a pioneer.
15:27 That man on the end right there, he's the true pioneer.
15:29 100%. 100%.
15:31 To be recognized, it was nice. I just want to be remembered and to be remembered was an honor.
15:38 This United Kingdom has an absolute love affair with mixed martial arts and tonight,
15:47 with much fanfare, the UFC is back with a championship main event
15:51 as magnified as any that has come before it.
15:54 Oh yeah, listen to the... Oh, goosebumps! Yeah, man!
16:04 We fought 23 years when I first saw Bruce.
16:13 We've got to know each other. We're a warrior and we'll be a warrior forever and I know it.
16:18 A homecoming for the ages. Hard to put into words the atmosphere inside this O2 arena in London.
16:26 The crowd went absolutely crazy when Leon Edmonds came out.
16:31 I know how I felt for 5,000 people, never mind how I would have felt for 20,000 people.
16:40 We are...
16:42 Rocky...
16:45 Edmonds!
16:49 Leon Edmonds absolutely smashed Usman from beginning to end.
16:54 It was an amazing fight to watch. I absolutely loved it.
16:58 Yes!
16:59 Come on, Rocky! Come on, Rocky! Come on, Rocky!
17:04 Yes!
17:07 Yes!
17:09 He's kept the title. To be the champ, you've got to beat the champ. He did not beat the champ.
17:16 And...
17:19 Sting!
17:21 Thank you, thank you, thank you!
17:23 Oh, my God!
17:25 Rocky, Rocky, Rocky, Rocky!
17:29 From the old to the new, I had to say well done, man.
17:31 Legend.
17:32 I had to say well done.
17:33 Thank you, appreciate it.
17:34 You paved the way for us, bro.
17:35 Oh, man.
17:36 Thank you.
17:37 You paved the way for us. I'm blown away.
17:40 I may have been the first one from Great Britain, but 23 years later,
17:45 and I've still got fighters saying that to me. It's a dream come true.
17:48 If I retired from fighting and had a mundane job where it was 9 to 5,
17:56 I think my life would have declined, because when you've had such an exciting career,
18:01 I don't think anything else would compare.
18:04 Hey, man. You're my...
18:06 Lovely. Thank you.
18:08 So, what do I do? I keep myself busy. I became an EMT.
18:12 I go out every day helping others, saving lives.
18:16 I do my fight events.
18:19 I coach in the gym.
18:22 That is in place of the fight game.
18:25 Giving back to others, giving back to the fans.
18:28 And I will do that as long as I can.
18:30 And if I do that, it will make me a very happy man.
18:34 All right, guys. Have a safe journey home.
18:36 Bye.
18:37 [BLANK_AUDIO]