Knockout artist James Garmany not rushing to turn pro ahead of title defense at Apex Fights 13
James Garmany | photo courtesy Valor Fights
Despite the fact that he’s 5-0 with all five wins via knockout or TKO, you may not see James Garmany turning pro anytime soon.
“A few months ago I was thinking about turning pro,” Garmany told BluegrassMMA. “But then I had a talk with few people and I decided to wait and not rush it.”
Garmany had an impressive year in 2016, winning the Valor light heavyweight title with a first round TKO over Lee Poke at Valor Fights 33 in May. He then defended the belt at Valor Fights 37, needing just 51 seconds to knock out Travis Gregoire at the event.
That bout earned him the 2016 BluegrassMMA Amateur Knockout of the Year award, although he says he had his sights set even higher.
“It feels good to win but it would have felt better if I’d have won Amateur Fighter of the Year too [laughs],” Garmany said. He finished second in the voting in that category to Anthony Romero after his 3-0 run on the year.
Garmany will kick off his 2017 campaign this weekend, when he defends his title against John Hall (2-0) at Apex Fights 13 in Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee.
Valor and Apex promoter and matchmaker Tim Loy has high praise for Garmany and also is pumped for this fight.
“Garmany is one of the most explosive athletes to come through the ranks in a while,” Loy told BluegrassMMA. “He is extremely aggressive and has scary potential and power! I don’t see any way this fight goes to a decision regardless of who wins, as both these guys have major power!”
James trains at MMA Institute with some of the best fighters in the area, including Valor amateur matchmaker David Robins, Jeremiah Gurley, Jesse Grun, and Apex Fights 13 headliner Billy Swanson.
You can watch Apex Fights 13 live on FloCombat tomorrow night.
