Courtesy of MMA Photography.com

Kimura fighter Jimmy Collins recorded a dominating victory in his amatuer MMA debut.

Jimmy fought the first fight of the night at a Reality Fighting event in Plymouth, Massachusetts on July 18. The lightweight put on a thrilling performance and made short work of celebrated wrestler Neil Strebig, finishing him by TKO at 1:46 in the first round.

“From the moment the bell rang, everything was just a blur,” said Collins, who competes in the 155-pound lightweight division. “This whole experience from the training to the fight to the roar of the fans has been the craziest time of my life. I loved it.”

Tying up with his opponent early on, Jimmy landed four brutal body shots a la Randy Couture dirty boxing style. He then threw Strebig to the mat and transitioned between side control and a north and south position while throwing strong ground-and-pound punches. Eventually, Jimmy took the mount and finished off Strebig by TKO. It wasn’t a bad night’s work for his first time in the cage.

A gifted athlete, Jimmy lettered in football, baseball, and wrestling at Waltham High School. In football, he actually played nose guard despite his 5′6” stout stature and he went on to become a standout collegiate hitter and catcher on Bryant College’s baseball team in Rhode Island. He later began training in jiu-jitsu, boxing, and MMA. His debut fight came in Reality Fighting, the MMA branch of the NAGA organization.

“I just want to thank everybody who trained me to be the best I could be,” said Jimmy.

He noted his training with Lauzon MMA as run by Joe Lauzon, the UFC veteran and lightweight powerhouse contender. He also thanked longtime boxing and strength and conditioning coaches Peter Welch and Steve Baccari as well Kimura Brazilian jiu-jitsu master Jean Kleber. Jimmy didn’t forget to thank his wife, either, who accomplished a feat comparable to his victory by putting up with him while he cut weight and trained for the fight.