Fight First Foundation

Iain Ferguson

‘Fight First and don’t give up’ is the message to good causes from a recently formed foundation which has already helped several community groups.

Set up by Mixed Marshall Arts follower and fighter Lewis Simpson and Kirsten Smith, Fight First Foundation undertakes a number of activities to raise money and pass it on to organisations who can benefit from it.

As an online commentator and writer, Lewis speaks with and publishes interviews with some of the world’s biggest names in the sport and through this persuades them to part with signed items. These are then auctioned on social media, attracting interest and bids from across the globe.

The foundation has already donated food parcels to Lochaber Food Bank and £700 worth of toys, books, games to Love in a Box Lochaber to help local children.

Most recently, Lewis and fellow MMA followers undertook a challenging series of tasks, live on the internet over 24 hours, showing not only fortitude and dedication but, in several cases, a bit of personal discomfort.

Eating a spoonful of cinnamon powder, a chilli pepper and pouring iced water over themselves were only a few of the activities, all watched online as sponsors cranked up the donations to move them on to the next level - in a good natured way.

At the conclusion, many of the guys were a bit worn and weary but absolutely delighted that their actions raised £4,840 for Lochaber Autism Group, whose only source of funding is what they can raise themselves.

Lewis said: ‘The majority of the people won’t be familiar with mixed martial arts (MMA) and when they see it, they can think it’s a bit bloody.

‘However, these are actually highly trained athletes with a huge following and I want to show the community what impact these guys can have with the money we raise from their donations, gloves and shorts, which they all give with great generosity.’

The foundation has already made a great impact in helping good causes and Lewis is always in the lookout for new groups to help with future fund raising events.

We hope that by doing this we can make lives easier and encourage them to ‘Fight First’ before any thoughts of giving up.

Angus and Nico also had their hair dyed blonde. Back row: Scott Kennedy, Lewis Simpson, Angus Anderson, Ronan Cameron. Front row left: Thomas Rae and Martin Ferguson. Missing: Lewis Hervo, Alex Kennedy, Nico Scally, Fraser Gray, Sean Lieder and Lewis Rydings