Former Bulldog Farmer knocks out opponent in MMA debut

    Knoxville, Tenn. – Some people collect stamps in their spare time as a hobby. Others carve wood or hunt and fish in their free time.
    Cory Farmer goes toe-to-toe in the octagon for his.
    The former Murphy Bulldog wrestling star recently won his debut mixed martial arts fight at the Valor Fighting Challenge, knocking out his opponent Gabriel Atkinson in the second round.
    Farmer was wrestling and playing rugby at Queens University in Charlotte when he returned to Murphy and found himself with nothing to do.
    So naturally, he began training in mixed martial arts fighting.
    “My buddy was training down in Ellijay, Ga., so I started going down with him because I wanted a hobby or activity to do,” Farmer said.
    “Most of all of the sports I end up in are usually pretty physical, so it seemed like a good idea.”
    After countless hours of training in Ellijay since June, Farmer was apprehensive, but excited for his mixed martial arts debut.
    In his first fight, Farmer got matched up against an older fighter who had been training much longer than the 19-year-old rookie.
    “For me I was kinda psyched out a little bit because the guy I was fighting was 29 years old and trained at a full-time MMA gym,” Farmer said.
    “I was just glad that it ended the way it did.”
    The way it ended was with a key takedown in the second round, one that Farmer attributed to his back ground in wrestling. “The first round, we were just slugging. I’d say he won it, but I traded some punches with him,” Farmer said.
    “Second round, we were just standing up on our feet fighting and I got a takedown, got on top of him and threw as many punches as I could,” Farmer said. “If I hadn’t had been a wrestler I probably would’ve gotten my butt whooped. Once I took him down he wasn’t struggling as hard and it kind of took the hope away from him.”
    Now that Farmer survived his MMA debut, with that knockout win under his belt, the young fighter has fallen deeper in love with the sport and awaits his next match, whoever that may be.
    “Getting out there and throwing some punches with somebody,” Farmer said of his favorite part of the sport. “Seeing who has the tougher mentality and who’s more of a man, that’s probably my favorite part.”