While he may look innocent from the outside, George Staines is a man capable of eating like Big John Fisher, smashing Star Wars video games, and still knocking out any opponent who dares get in his way.
With Oktagon Challenge: England vs Ireland well underway, the seasoned amateur fighter has proved that you can never judge a book by its cover. While on paper, he comes across like a loveable geek, behind his hobbies, stands a man capable of mixing it with the best in the business.
With problem-solving skills honed through years of constructing challenging Lego sets, the prospect has developed a bulletproof mindset, which came to light during his bout against Matty Elliot.
Showcasing his incredible heart, in the quarter-finals of the Channel 4 reality show, Staines survived an arm bar to emerge victorious via a dominant decision. And in an exclusive interview with Sporf, he opened up on that experience as well as his desire to replicate his hero, Big John Fisher, by eating an outrageous amount of celebratory food.
George Staines loves Big John Fisher
He explained: “The first round was pretty wild; I nearly snapped my arm in half. It was tight, but I was willing to let it break to win the fight. I’d have fought with a broken arm. Obviously, I came out the back door and smashed him for the next three rounds.
“The bleed on the brain was like, ‘Oh sh*t’. Bryan Lacey and everyone was telling me that I might never fight again. I didn’t realise how serious it was. That shows how daft I am. I just cared about having some pizza after the fight. I got some; I was buzzing about that.”
He continued: “I asked for just a pepperoni, but I got a meat feast. It was ham, pepperoni, a bit of beef; I was like, ‘Bosh’. Big John would’ve been buzzing. I’m not a massive fan of Chinese. I know Big John won’t be happy about that one. He’d be fuming. My go-to is a McDonalds. I usually get a burger, a milkshake, a McFlurry if they’ve got a good one in, and maybe some cheese bites. Then, I’ll go home, get a large Dominoes pizza, a tub of Ben and Jerry’s, cookies, wedges, smash it all in. It’s gotta be done.”
George Staines wants to fight Star Wars Characters after Oktagon Challenge: England vs Ireland
With a place in the final of Oktagon Challenge at the Manchester Arena on November 4 on the line, on Tuesday evening, the world will discover whether Staines has the minerals to defeat Armand Herczeg, who dismantled Next Gen star, Jake McHugh inside the opening round.
Having struck gold at the IMMAF European Championships, there’s an expectation in the industry that Staines can go very far in the sport, but fans will have to watch the next episode of Oktagon Challenge to find out if he’s ready for the next step.
Entering the tournament with a 16-1 record, Staines clearly knows a thing or two about fighting. But while he’s proven his martial arts prowess on Planet Earth, how does he think he’d fair in the world of Star Wars?
He laughed: “I’d just get absolutely mauled by Darth Vader, so I’m going to take on Boba Fett or The Mandalorian because they don’t have any powers, just really cool tech. Those two would be the most winnable fights for me; neither of them are strong; they’re just sick characters. F**k fighting Vader, he’s too powerful. He’s just going to smash me. Force Choke. Dead. Done
“Vader’s the best. He’s got the highest Midi-chlorian count. No one beats Vader. Who has beaten Vader? No one. I suppose Obi-Wan did. But Vader is the chosen one. I could maybe beat Yoda; he’s only small, I could boot him away.
“If I had the force, I reckon it would be a different story. I’d smash Vader. Slam him into the floor and embrace my inner Starkiller (From The Force Unleashed video game). He smashes Vader, so if we’re saying I’m Starkiller, then I’d smash Vader.”
George Staines is a star of the future
Throughout his time on the show, Staines has proved an inspiration to geeks around the country. Ultimately, no matter what your interests are, you can always upset the odds. With a happy-go-lucky attitude and a cheeky smile, the youngster has caught the hearts of the nation. And in the castle-building Challenge, he proved that his Lego skills undeniably have a use in the real world.
He grinned: “When Bryan Lacey said we have to build a castle, he showed us the photos, and it was just like building a Lego set. I was like, ‘Lads, I’ve got this one’. As soon as I saw the images, I knew what went where. Bish, bash, bosh. Easy peasy. I see it all the time; I do it in my spare time. It’s something I can rattle off easily. Easy money.”
Featured Image Credit: Big John Fisher & George Staines
