KNIVES DOWN. GLOVES UP.

Zak Garbett began training Muay Thai at nine years old, introduced to the sport by his mother at a local gym in Weoley Castle. Twenty-one years on, he has built one of the most successful Muay Thai gyms in the country.

Born and raised in Weoley Castle, Zak trained and competed for over two decades under the guidance of Dean James, whom he credits as the defining influence on his career. In 2017, at the age of 24, he left his position at Severn Trent to open Weoley Castle Muay Thai above a local public house. Nine years later, the gym stands as one of the most respected names in British combat sports.

Zak is the striking coach behind some of the most respected names in professional combat sports. His athletes include Fabian Edwards, a top PFL contender and former champion, and Amarie Derick, who competes for LFL, one of the leading professional MMA promotions in the Netherlands. Alongside them sits a roster of elite MMA fighters and some of the most decorated Muay Thai competitors in the United Kingdom, winning consistently at the highest level: WBC titles, ISKA titles, national championships, and a long record of open tournament victories.

His junior programme is the clearest measure of the gym's standard. Fighters developed at Weoley Castle now represent Team GB internationally, competing at world level and returning with wins against the strongest opposition in their weight classes. Young athletes who began their careers on these mats now compete for their country.

For all the titles, Zak remains most proud of the fighters winning their first bouts.