FRANS MLAMBO is ready to announce himself on the world stage – having been involved in super-fights from the background.
The Irishman, a 13-5 bantamweight, is a product of John Kavanagh's famed Straight Blast Gym in Dublin, home to superstar Conor McGregor.
And McGregor has used Mlambo as a sparring partner for many of his training camps, including in 2017 when he lost to boxing legend Floyd Mayweather.
It has afforded him experiences money can't buy – but Mlambo admits to the frustration of watching on from the sidelines.
He told SunSport: “It kind of shows you what is there and what is possible but at the same time, I’m not going to lie, it's bittersweet.
“Hanging around people that are doing very well. You’re doing the exact same thing but it’s just not working out for you as good.
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“So it’s fun and all and it has its pros but at the same time it has its cons. For example, to give you an example of what I mean by this…
“James Gallagher, I came up with him, we had our first pro fight on the same card, now he’s living in America, has a house all this.
“This is a younger guy than me, this is a guy when I was joining the sport he was a kid and he’s grown up now doing the same thing.
“He’s doing very well of course but at the same time I’m winning fights as well, winning flipping tournaments but I don’t have any of them things.
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“It’s like I’m doing the exact same things these same people are doing, what’s different about me that the same opportunities aren’t there?
“It has its pros of course but it has its flipping cons as well.”
Mlambo is on a five-fight win streak but he has been out of action for over a year.
But he has now been signed to the Professional Fighters League, MMA's only seasonal format.
It sees stars compete in qualifying and knockout stages, culminating in a series of finale fights where $1million is up for grabs.
But the PFL this year launched a knockout tournament in Europe, offering $100,000 and a spot in the $1m winner-take-all season.
Mlambo, 31, faces Dominique Wooding, 26, on July 8 in Berlin in a rematch of the bout he won in 2019.
And having cheered on the success of his SBG team-mates, Mlambo warned his time is now.
He said: “I feel like after the year I’ve had – I’ve had the worst time of my life – I feel like I’m taking frustration out on everyone.
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“I can’t wait to get in there and it’s definitely made me a more dangerous fighter. I’m just hungry, there’s no games anymore.
“This is literally my life, if I go in there and I lose, I’m done. I can’t have that. I can’t let that happen. It’s going to be crazy.”
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