Leigh Remedios Todd Atkins interview on UFC 38 and life after fighting

The Leigh Remedios Todd Atkins interview covers the British fighter’s place on the UFC 38 card at the Royal Albert Hall, the unexpected demands of fighting for the UFC while holding a full-time job, and his move from engineering to teaching jiu-jitsu in the Bahamas. Remedios also gave his views on Paddy Pimblett, Tyson Fury, Dana White and Eddie Hearn.

What did Leigh Remedios say about UFC 38 and the first British UFC fighters?

Leigh Remedios said UFC 38 brought together a group of experienced British fighters at the Royal Albert Hall, with Ian Freeman headlining and Remedios, Mark Weir and James sick itch also on the card. They had already spent years fighting in a much smaller scene, he said, long before a UFC appearance offered that kind of stage.

Remedios described himself as part of an early wave of fighters from the United Kingdom. He said his first professional fight was in Vancouver in 1997 and recalled competing across North America, Eastern Europe and the United Kingdom. His promotions included Cage Warriors and Cage Rage, alongside other local events.

Fighting before the Royal Albert Hall

Some of the group’s earlier fights took place at underground events, Remedios said, at a time when fighting could be illegal and offered little prospect of fame or significant money. The Royal Albert Hall was a sharp contrast to those beginnings. Explaining what had kept them competing, Remedios put it this way:

But we fought for the love of the game

How did martial arts change Leigh Remedios’s life?

Leigh Remedios said grappling gave him a way to channel a longstanding urge to fight and helped him turn his life around. He went from getting into trouble as a young man to training regularly, finishing a first-class degree and becoming an engineer. He now runs a martial arts school and has a family.

His childhood included moves between Hong Kong and the United Kingdom. He said he struggled to fit in at school, was expelled for fighting and later got into further trouble. He did not present those experiences as someone else’s fault; he described himself as a young person who loved to fight but needed a different direction.

Finding a grappling style that worked

While in Vancouver, Remedios sought martial arts training for its usefulness in a fight. He had seen Japanese shoot fighting and the UFC, and concluded that he needed to grapple. Jiu-jitsu immediately made sense to him: putting an opponent on their back, controlling them and using submissions suited the way he thought about fighting. He also trained in judo and said he became a black belt.

Training became a major part of his routine. Remedios recalled doing ten two-hour classes a week, totaling 20 hours, across seven days. He said that commitment helped get him off the streets. He later returned to his studies, completed his degree and worked as a chartered engineer.

What was fighting for the UFC like for Leigh Remedios at UFC 38?

Leigh Remedios said the UFC treated him well, but fighting at UFC 38 felt strange because he was a contractor rather than an employee. Alongside preparing for his fight, he had to arrange an MRI, make media appearances and take time away from his full-time engineering job. The crowd was another adjustment he had not sought.

Remedios was used to competing, but the professional obligations surrounding this event were new to him. Radio shows, magazine interviews and video promotions all required time away from work. He said the UFC did not ask him to sell tickets, and he recalled receiving a London hotel room and about £600 for food over three or four days.

Contract work and the Royal Albert Hall crowd

He drew a distinction between being paid to fight and having a salaried job with benefits or a department to handle his concerns. Once the contracted work was done, the arrangement ended. Remedios emphasized that nobody mistreated him; he simply had not been prepared for how much he would have to organize around the fight.

Entering the Royal Albert Hall before thousands of people brought a different kind of pressure. Remedios said he was not afraid of his opponent, but he did not enjoy the crowd or the attention. Being recognized afterward and seeing strangers discuss him on forums felt surreal. He said fighters hoping to make a career today must also be ready to market themselves, sell tickets and handle social media.

What did Leigh Remedios say about Paddy Pimblett and British accents?

Leigh Remedios said he does not know Paddy Pimblett personally and knows little about him, but he wishes the Liverpool fighter well. Asked about Pimblett’s accent, Remedios explained that English accents can differ sharply between nearby cities. To him, that regional variety is an ordinary part of life in the United Kingdom.

Paddy Pimblett’s fighting and public encounters

Remedios said a friend had supported Pimblett and that he had seen some of the fighter’s work. He praised Pimblett’s jiu-jitsu and said he had seen signs of knockout power. He also liked seeing Pimblett respond appreciatively to people who approached him in the street. Beyond those observations, Remedios was careful not to claim any personal knowledge of him.

Accents across England and beyond

Liverpool’s accent prompted a broader discussion of regional speech. Remedios pointed to Birmingham, London and Bristol as places with distinct accents, then noted further differences in Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Even places a short drive apart can sound markedly different, he said. He suggested that older patterns of travel may have helped those differences persist, though he offered that as his own explanation rather than a settled answer.

What did Leigh Remedios say about Tyson Fury and the traveler community?

Leigh Remedios said British boxing fans would want a Tyson Fury–Anthony Joshua fight in the United Kingdom because both heavyweights are British. He also discussed Fury’s traveler background, saying public attitudes toward traveler communities often rely on treating distinct groups as though they were one. Those were his observations, not claims about every member of a community.

Remedios described Joshua as a major figure for British fans. In his view, a meeting between the two heavyweights was long overdue, and staging it outside the United Kingdom would make little sense. He also said Fury could be a divisive figure, while acknowledging that he does not know him personally.

Distinct traveler communities in the United Kingdom

When Atkins asked what he meant by traveler, Remedios distinguished Irish travelers, English travelers and Romani people. He said some families move between places while others live at fixed sites. His central point was that outsiders often group these communities together without understanding their different customs or circumstances.

Remedios said his experience of Irish traveler communities included a strong connection to boxing. He also argued that negative public perceptions can unfairly fall on people who simply want to live within their communities undisturbed. He framed those comments as his interpretation, informed in part by people he knows, rather than an account of every traveler’s experience.

What did Leigh Remedios say about Dana White and Eddie Hearn?

Leigh Remedios said his own interactions with Dana White were pleasant, but he thought White came across poorly in his public exchange with Eddie Hearn about boxing. Remedios believed White spoke as though he had a stronger grasp of that business than the exchange showed. He presented that assessment as his impression, not inside knowledge.

Remedios recalled speaking with White while he competed for the UFC and said White was nice to him. He nevertheless disagrees with some of White’s public remarks and decisions. In the exchange with Hearn, Remedios felt White was more provocative, although he acknowledged his own possible bias as an English observer.

He compared the situation to his perception of Vince McMahon: someone Remedios considered highly capable in one promotional field but less convincing when moving into another. He enjoyed the back-and-forth as entertainment, yet thought Hearn’s commentary made the stronger case. Discussing Fury’s ability to travel to the United States, Remedios floated a possible explanation for White’s confidence but made clear he did not know what agreements, if any, were in place.

Why is Leigh Remedios teaching jiu-jitsu in the Bahamas?

Leigh Remedios said an opportunity to open an academy took him to the Bahamas, where he now lives and teaches jiu-jitsu full time. He has left engineering and moved out of the United Kingdom. The work lets him focus on teaching, while the year-round warmth and access to the beach have made the move personally rewarding.

He described the academy opportunity as unusual and said his day-to-day work is now teaching. The change follows years in which he balanced martial arts with a career as a chartered engineer. In the Bahamas, the school is his full-time occupation rather than something he fits around an engineering job.

Remedios said he loves the sun and the beach, even though it rains frequently. Unlike the cold rain he associated with the United Kingdom, he finds the rain there easy to live with: he can wait for it to pass or remain in the sea. He welcomed visitors who want to train jiu-jitsu with his academy while in the Bahamas.