Labour MP defeated in charity jiu-jitsu fight

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c629xzq08z7o

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Swindon North MP Will Stone lost against veteran fighter Matt Inman

A Wiltshire Labour MP has been defeated in a charity jiu-jitsu match against an MMA professional.

Swindon North MP Will Stone lost to veteran fighter Matt Inman in the match held at Croydon's Fairfield Halls in south London.

Stone, a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and former soldier, was forced to submit after four minutes and 37 seconds, almost halfway through the 10-minute bout.

Both men had agreed to donate money raised from the event to The Kelly Foundation, a mental health charity in Stone's constituency.

Stone was a regular competitor on the national grappling circuit before entering politics

The fight was part of an event organised by Polaris, Europe's largest professional grappling promotion, which approached Stone after he was elected.

After leaving the army, Stone ran a martial arts gym and was a regular competitor on the national grappling circuit before entering politics.

The MP said ahead of the bout: "I did the trials for Polaris twice and didn't quite make the cut, but after I became the first ever Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt MP, they reached out to me.

"It's an amazing opportunity to elevate the sport so I had to take it."

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