Casey O’Leary is heading back to the Battlefield.
The 23-year-old Duncan-based fighter, who trains with Black Box MMA, will make his second appearance on a Battlefield Fight League card this Friday when he takes on Josh Kwiatkowski at the Hard Rock Casino in Coquitlam, in a fight that will be seen around the world in 28 million homes on the Fight Network.
If O’Leary’s first BFL fight was any indication, this next one should be one to watch as he continues to turn heads in the sport. O’Leary describes his last outing, against Daniel David, as a “three-round war.” It ended in a unanimous decision for O’Leary.
“I pretty much put a pace on him that wore him down pretty quickly,” O’Leary recalls.
O’Leary’s trainer, Shane Jung, has spent plenty of time around MMA, as a competitor and observer, and he was thoroughly impressed with his protégé’s BFL debut.
“The show he put on is why he’s going back,” Jung says. “I’ve seen a lot of fights, and I’ve been in a lot of fights of my own, but that was the most exciting fight I’ve ever seen in my life.”
According to Jung, BFL is the premier MMA circuit in western Canada and the western U.S.
“If you want to fight for anybody, you want to fight for them,” he says.
O’Leary’s opponent, Kwiatkowski, is also undefeated, boasting a 2-0 record, but this will be his first appearance on a BFL card.
“Casey’s going to take his zero as well,” Jung says.
Getting his start in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, O’Leary has been training in martial arts for about nine years, and has been with Black Box for about four years. His training partners there include some well-known local fighters, such as Johnny (Two Feathers) Williams, Corey Gower and Blake McVittie.
“He’s been training with the very best,” Jung says. “He’s had a lot of good guys around him.”
O’Leary was born and raised on Vancouver Island and has spent the last five years in Duncan. He first studied jiu-jitsu at South Island Jiu-Jitsu in Mill Bay, and competed in several tournaments before he got away from gym life when he started working.
Now, he’s on the fast track to doing big things in the sport.
“This is probably the best time, especially with my experience,” O’Leary says. “I’ve been doing this so long with people twice my age.”
Jung agrees, and sees O’Leary going to the top level of the sport.
“He’s going to end up going pro,” the trainer says. “He’s going to end up making it far in this sport. The end game is UFC. That’s why he’s in here every day, working so hard.”
It was UFC that inspired O’Leary to take up MMA in the first place.
“I used to love watching fight movies,” he recalls. “When UFC got big, I realized what I wanted to do with my life; I realized what my potential was right away.”
O’Leary says he has no nerves as he prepares for Friday’s bout.
“I’m pumped,” he says. “I’m very excited. If there’s any time to be nervous, it’s in training. I’m definitely ready.”
BFL fights are broadcast on the Fight Network three months after the fact, meaning his previous fight on Oct. 17 should be airing soon, and this upcoming fight will air later in the spring. This weekend’s card will also be broadcast live on pay-per-view at battlefieldfl.com
Another Black Box student, boxer Liz Jackson, is preparing for a fight of her own on Friday, Jan. 29 at the Clash of the Cascades in Langley.
