CABONNE’S Mixed Martial Arts community had plenty to celebrate at Storm Damage 20
Cudal’s Amber Beehag claimed a championship belt, Canowindra’s Luca Mirta got a win in his MMA debut, and local gym owner and coach Greg Wiltshire was inducted into the Storm Damage Hall of Fame.
The 20th and final instalment of the Storm Damage fight series was held at the Canberra Southern Cross Club on Saturday 29 August and brought fighters from across the region together for one last night in the cage.
Beehag faced Jess Aitken in a Featherweight title fight, securing the belt after three rounds.
For her father, the night brought a different kind of recognition, with Wiltshire inducted into the Storm Damage Hall of Fame for his longstanding contribution to the event as a fighter, coach and gym owner.
However, it was the achievements of his fighters and the support of the team that Wiltshire said he was most proud of.
He said the team had rallied around its fighters, supporting Beehag and Mirta.
For Wiltshire, the connection to Storm Damage goes back to the beginning.
He competed at the inaugural event and returned to fight at subsequent meets, including Storm Damage 7 and 10, before continuing his involvement as a coach and gym owner.
Through his Cudal gym, Wiltshire has helped train and support fighters who have gone on to compete on Storm Damage cards, contributing to the development of MMA in the region.
His Hall of Fame induction came alongside three other long-time contributors to Storm Damage, who have fought and refereed at the event and run MMA gyms, and filled roles including cage crew, photographers, and emcees.
Wiltshire was involved with Storm Damage 1 and remained part of the event through to its final show, Storm Damage 20.
Storm Damage organisers described the inductees as “Storm Damage royalty”.
Reflecting on the end of the event, Wiltshire said he would always be grateful for the opportunities the MMA series had provided him.
“I’ll never be able to thank Storm Damage 20 enough for the opportunities they have given me,” he said.
“Such a shame that the best show in the country has officially dropped the pin in the cage for the last time, but I am so grateful to have been a speck on the map that is Storm Damage.”
While his Hall of Fame recognition marked a milestone, Wiltshire said nothing outweighed the pride he felt in the Cudal MMA community and the way his team supported its fighters.
