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Given his chosen outlet is mixed martial arts, it may be a surprise to consider the calming sense felt by Raffy Balouka-Myers (Natural Sciences 2023) following a training session.

“The ability to block out anything else is something I really, really enjoy,” he says. 

“For me, it’s more the complete tunnel vision I get when I’m training, especially sparring. You have to be 100 percent focused, otherwise you’re going to get caught; you can’t think about anything else.

“A hard session always completely clears my mind. It’s such a great feeling. It makes me so happy.”

Aged 15, a friend at secondary school in North London invited Raffy to a Muay Thai session. He has been enthralled ever since and is now the social secretary of the University of Cambridge’s MMA Society.

Raffy attributes social media and popular culture to the growth of MMA. But it is one thing to watch a combat sport, and another to take part.

He adds: “Everyone thinks ‘I want to give that a go’. It’s such a unique sport and something a lot of people don’t get the opportunity to do.

“All sports involving full contact have that element of danger. Oftentimes it’s over stated with mixed martial arts. When you do it and when you train, it’s safer than many traditional sports. There are many forms of winning over your opponent, not just punching them in the face!”

Combining boxing, kickboxing, wrestling and other sports, and a focus on strategy, strength and conditioning, stamina, technique and flexibility work are what Raffy enjoys. 

The club’s competitive focus is on Varsity against their Oxford equivalents, while Raffy hopes socials, the growth of the female section and further competitions continue. He plans to continue taking part in MMA for the foreseeable future.

He adds: “It’s constantly on my mind and I love it so much. Whenever I get the opportunity, I’ll do it. It’s such an important thing for me now.”