It began as a casual catch-up that evolved into a business venture; earlier this year when Alastair Cameron met with his uncle and Fightcross owner, Ross Cameron, little did he know it would lead him to where he is today.
“I was seeing how everything was going with the business and asked if he (Ross) would expand to Perth if the opportunity presented itself,” explains Alastair,
“Fast forward six months, a bunch of sleepless nights, and an endless amount of paperwork, we got the keys.”
When Alastair says ‘we’ he is referring to himself and co-owner, Peter.
After moving to Perth in April of 2014, Alastair was living in a house with nine mates when he decided to try and make a bit of money in the mines. This is where he would meet Peter, underground. The two have had to overcome many challenges to get to the point there are now but according to Alastair it has all been worth it.
“There are so many hoops you have to jump through to do anything like this. When I started I had no idea what I had signed up for. Looking back though every hurdle has made the gym better and been a valuable learning curve for us,”
Opened in September, Fightcross’ fifth gym has hit the ground running and along with owners, Pete and Alastair, coaches have helped create a positive culture.
Josh Doutch met co-owner Pete watching a UFC fight at a pub a couple of years ago. That interaction became fruitful recently when Pete contacted him asking if he was interested in the role of striking coach. Josh says that whilst he hadn’t coached before it didn’t take long for him to embrace the role,
“It was something that I had never done before. At first I was scared and skeptical but after taking my first class I realised it came naturally to me.”
Josh is a student of Heikki Martikainen who also has become a coach at Fightcross. Heikki holds 10 black belts in a range of martial arts. With a wealth of experience, he comes to Fightcross driven to create real, sustainable change for students. Heikki has had influential instructors throughout his martial arts journey and thus realizes the value of a good coach.
“Always being positive; to be able to go with the flow and expect the unexpected – it’s an approach to life I have learnt from my instructor, Yohan.”
In the Brazilian jiu-jitsu department, Fightcross has welcomed Dean Alves. A native of Brazil, Dean is thrilled at the opportunity that he has been presented,
“If I can keep teaching and training BJJ for the rest of my life, I’ll not think twice,”
Although only a couple of months old, Fightcross Perth has cultivated a fun, motivating environment. As one member states,
“It’s like family here. No matter what fitness level you are, the team will be welcoming and accommodating. I’m proud to call Fightcross my second home.”
