The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

AFTER the death of Kevin ‘Kimbo Slice’ Ferguson in 2016, the community of Fox Hill has seen the rise of another local mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter in Giovanni ‘Mofire’ Johnson.

After his family moved to Florida in 1995, Johnson returned home in 2005 and began training in MMA in 2009 and had his first fight in 2010 under the tutelage of Ken Bazard.

But after juggling his time between attending the University of the Bahamas where he studied biochemistry and working a 9 to 5 job in a kitchen, Johnson said he was encouraged to take his talent to Koh Samui, Thailand.

“I only wanted to fight, so when I got the opportunity to go to Thailand, I took it,” said Johnson, who bought a ticket, got his visa and has settled for training and fighting in Thailand since June 4 where he will remain until the end of November.

On Sunday at the Samui International Muay Thai Stadium, Johnson improved his win-loss record to 14-2 in the 70-kilogram class with a victory in his third fight since he made it to the other part of the world.

“It was pretty decent,” Johnson said of his last encounter. “My opponent was pretty much like myself in his tactics. He wasn’t very aggressive. He was more a counter fighter, which forced me to be the aggressor.

“I was used to sitting back and waiting for the opportunity to step it up. It forced me to change how I fought.

“I was able to take him out with a knockout in the fourth round and won the fifth round affair.”

The 32-year-old Johnson, who fights out of Tru8 Muay Thai, suffered an injury to his wrist during the fight and a day after the fight, he had to be treated for a virus in his stomach.

“There’s an abundance of fighters over here and if I stay healthy, I could literally fight every two weeks, which was what I was doing,” noted Johnson about the series of fights staged from Tuesday to Sunday. “It’s a very accepted culture here.”

Johnson said whenever there is a fight, they are highly promoted through the city.

Unfortunately, he doesn’t speak any Thai - the official language of Thailand - but he’s learning how to cope.

He hopes that he can get some more financial support from the government to go along with what he has gotten from family and friends. The oldest of four children born to Vans and Maria Johnson said without their support and a few others who support him, he would not be able to maintain his training in Thailand.

“This gym has paid for my first three months, but the second three months is on me,” he pointed out.

“I have a backer at home, but I still need some support from the Bahamian people. This is indeed the best place that I can be to train, so I am taking full advantage of this opportunity.”

When he’s not training or fighting, Ferguson is a personal trainer at home.

And he’s hoping that he can get more Bahamians to engage in MMA as he considers it to be a wonderful sport to participate or compete in.