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Fighting blind: Paralympian takes on MMA challenge

Anna O’NeillBBC News, Welling, London
BBC Chris Telesford wearing a grey T-shirt stands with his arms folded inside a boxing and mixed martial arts gym. Training equipment, including a hanging black punch bag, padded wall mats, and boxing gear, can be seen in the background. The photograph is taken from the chest up, with the gym's blue and black interior visible.BBC
Chris Telesford has an eye condition so rare he’s thought to be one of the only people in the world with it

Chris Telesford was just one month old when he was diagnosed with an eye condition so rare that ocular specialists around the world have studied his eyes ever since.

He has bilateral coloboma of the optic nerve with nystagmus and has been treated at Moorfields Eye Hospital all his life.

"It means I've got both short- and long-sightedness in both eyes at the same time. One pupil is misshapen and the cataract made everything blurry and distorted," he said.

Now 46, Telesford has been part of the Paralympic GB Taekwondo Poomsae team since 2018.

This weekend, he's believed to be the first person with a bilateral visual impairment to compete in a mixed martial arts contest against a sighted opponent.

"Seeing is difficult, very difficult," he said, adding that the lighting and the number of people around him can impact on how well he can see.

We are sitting in Stone Fight Academy boxing gym in Welling, south-east London, where Telesford is training for his latest quest.

Sitting directly in front of him about a metre or so away with a studio light illuminating us both, I asked him what he could see of me.

"I can see that you are slightly shorter than me, but because of the light you're more or less just a silhouette," he replied.

Telesford uses light and shadows and instincts to work out his bearings on the mats.

Chris wearing a loose grey T-shirt sits inside a martial arts gym during an interview. The person is gesturing with both hands while speaking, with a black punch bag hanging behind them against blue padded wall mats. Part of another person is visible out of focus in the foreground on the right side of the image. The gym floor is covered with red mats and the lighting is low and focused on the interview subject.
Chris can only see me as a silhouette, even though I am sitting relatively close to him

Poomsae is a form of Taekwondo that doesn't use one-on-one combat, but combines defensive and offensive movements against imaginary opponents.

He is the UK's number one.

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) couldn't be more different: it's all about the one-on-one combat.

"MMA is more violent," he said. "It's more full on."

"You can grab, you can punch to the face, you can take down, practice submissions, grappling and so forth.

"Basically your ultimate aim is to hurt the other person," he said.

"And I'm not fighting someone who's got a visual impairment. Everyone I'm fighting is able-bodied."

Mark Smith wearing a black T-shirt with the words “STONE FIGHT ACADEMY” printed on the front sits inside a martial arts gym. Behind is a chain-link training cage with red and black padding, while boxing and MMA equipment can be seen in the background. The photograph is framed from the chest up and taken indoors under low lighting, with the gym's training area visible behind the interview subject.
Coach Mark Smith from Stone Fight Academy says MMA combines a variety of martial arts

This Sunday at the Clapham Grand, Telesford is competing in an Ultra MMA event - a charity fundraising programme that gives beginners eight weeks of mixed martial arts training before competing in a supervised amateur bout.

His coach, Mark Smith, said: "Chris turned up at the gym one day wanting to branch out from what he was already doing which was taekwondo, and get into something a little bit more full-contact, which was MMA.

"It combines boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, Brazilian jujitsu, and is kind of a blended mix of all."

Because Sunday's fight is for charity, Smith won't be in his corner giving out instructions, but he will be watching in the audience.

Two people train together in a martial arts gym with blue wall mats and red-and-blue padded flooring. One person, wearing a grey T-shirt and dark shorts, performs a high kick while balancing on one leg. Opposite, another person in a red hoodie and black trousers holds red training paddles as a target. Several black punch bags hang from the ceiling in the background, and daylight enters through windows beside a chain-link training cage.
Chris is also a member of Aquila Taekwondo gym where he fights against non-disabled people

Also watching Telesford train is Kuzey Akses, the founder and director of Aquila Taekwondo in Bromley, where Telesford trains.

Akses says Telesford is an inspiration.

"Chris has been a trailblazer for visual impairments in taekwondo," he said.

"He's proved to everybody that anything is possible if you put your mind to it."

He added: "If you listen well, if you train hard, you can implement it in any level of competition.

"He regularly competes against people that are able-bodied, and does very well."

Inside a boxing and martial arts gym, a man with a shaved head and red beard stands beside a boxing ring with one hand on their hip. Two others are training inside the ring, with one holding focus pads while the other practises punches. The ring is enclosed by red-and-white ropes, and large banners showing athletes holding championship belts cover the walls. Mirrors along the side of the gym reflect the training session, while padded flooring and boxing equipment are visible around the ring.
Stone Fight Academy in Welling is one of the gyms teaching MMA as well as boxing and other martial arts

Telesford is raising funds for the Moorfields Eye Charity, which has supported him in his life-long journey living with visual impairment.

It is the leading charity in the UK funding research into eye health and innovation and helps patients at Moorfields and globally.

Jo Green, head of fundraising and engagement at the charity, said: "Chris is a true inspiration.

"Sight loss, like any other disability, shouldn't stop anyone from following their passion and having a chance to achieve their dreams.

"The sight-loss community and our supporters underpin all of our vital work, and we're incredibly grateful to everyone who fundraises for us.

"We wish Chris the best of luck, please do support him if you can."

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