Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 52, November 2013 | Page 18

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Soldiering On
Soldiering On
A

t the beginning of October, the headline bout
at EFC Africa 24 at Carnival City in Johannesburg saw
Garreth ‘Soldierboy’ McLellan regain the EFC (Extreme
Fighting Championship) middleweight title from Jeremy
‘Pitbull’ Smith in an aggressive bout that went to the
ground in the first round. Garreth pinned Smith to the
mat while landing a devastating elbow to the nose, and
with Smith gushing blood, Garreth applied a rear naked
chokehold and forced Smith to tap out. After months
of regaining form and fitness following a double-knee
operation late last year, Soldierboy held the champ’s belt
again. “My mind was in a better place,” he says. “I knew
Smith was going to be strong and quick, but I remained
positive.”

NATURAL FIGHTER
Garreth’s talent on the rugby field at school in Durban
took him to the Sharks Rugby Academy in 2007. With a
focus on getting fit for and learning the tricks of playing
hooker, he started working with Sharks fitness coach

clinically proven natural medicin