GREENOCK fighter Reece McEwan says he has learned lessons from the bloody bout which put his UFC aspirations on hold - and vowed to bounce back as he gears up for a big Braehead clash.

The local martial artist was in the hunt for the bantamweight belt at Cage Warriors 164 last November before falling short of the top prize despite going the full distance against Liam ‘Nightmare’ Gittins in a brutal brawl.

The 29-year-old had hoped to take the next step in his journey towards the top of mixed martial arts, but vicious elbows from his English opponent in the opening round of their Newcastle title fight left Reece with a mountain to climb.

Although drenched in blood, Reece held on until the end of the fight, with the clash being decided by unanimous decision after five punishing rounds.

Greenock Telegraph: Reece McEwan

The local fighter told the Telegraph that he was disappointed to have lost but took pride in his ability to regain his composure and stay in the fight.

He said: “It was the hardest and the longest fight of my life, I lost a lot of blood. But that’s just competing at the elite level. I made a technical error and got cut off of two elbows.

“I lost a lot of blood and from then on I was chasing the fight. I did regroup throughout the fight and win some exchanges back but at that point I'd taken a lot of damage.

“Physiologically I was fighting with a loss of sight but that’s an amazing experience to have under my belt for the future.

“The result didn’t go my way, at this moment in time I’ve got to accept it and move on.

“I’ve had nine professional fights, I’m early on in my career.

“Four years ago I was preparing for my pro debut and of those four years I missed two due to the pandemic.

“In the two years I’ve had I’ve went from not being a professional to fighting for a world championship.

“The improvements have been insane and I’m proud of that, but I’m also gutted that I didn’t get that belt.”

Reece had come into the fight in red hot form, having won four in a row at Cage Warriors.

Throughout his time at the premier European competition, he had been backed by a horde of loyal fans, who turned out in droves for the title fight.

The local man said that the crowd and atmosphere in the stadium had given him an extra boost on the night of the bout.

He added: “When I was making my walkout it was a sold out arena, they actually broke a record that night and there were hundreds of people who had come down from Inverclyde to watch me.

“When I found myself on my back and I took those elbows, I didn’t know I was bleeding at that point.

“My head almost zoned out and I wondered if it was raining, but I knew it couldn’t be. I could just hear dripping. I looked down and my head was dripping blood, I just thought ‘what is that’.

“I found myself on my back again in round two. Going into round three I remember telling myself that the result might not go my way but I had to keep fighting and looking for the finish."

Reece says that despite the disappointment of the fight, he has now turned his mind to his next bantamweight bout, which will see him face UFC veteran Cameron Else on April 20.

The fight, which is taking place at Braehead Arena, will be a special moment for Reece, who has dreamed of fighting in front of a big home crowd.

He added: “After the fight I switched from the disappointment because I wanted to thank all the people who’d turned out to support me.

“I was up on the cage cheering and clapping them.

“Now I’m thinking of the next fight at the Braehead arena. The last time I fought in Scotland was in a local sports hall, so this is going to be special.

“I can’t wait to walk out in front of that crowd and give it my all.”