MIXED martial arts champion James Wilks returned to his roots last week to film for an upcoming documentary.
Film cameras followed his return to his Burton Lazars home as well as his visit to Melton Kyokushinkai Karate Club where he spent a few hours teaching the club’s current intake of pupils on Tuesday evening.
Melton Kyokushinkai gave James his first taste of martial arts as a youngster, putting him on a path which would one day take him to stardom on the other side of the Atlantic.
The 35-year-old, who emigrated to California in 2000, became big box office in the United States when he won The Ultimate Fighter show in 2009, and now hopes his investigation into food and nutrition will also interest cinema goers.
James has recruited acclaimed producer John Corry to make ‘Game Changer’ which has tracked his journey over the last two years as he looks into the world of nutrition among athletes.
He said: “A couple of years ago I got injured while training for a fight and wanted to use my time well so I started looking at my diet.
“I had previously trusted magazines and websites and thought I knew what I was doing. I had all of these black belts for martial arts, but I was a white belt when it came to nutrition.
“Part of what I’m asking now is whether we need all of this meat in our diets or if that’s something which is driven by advertising.”
James reluctantly took the advice of doctors and retired from MMA last year, but he is still involved in the sport and runs a gym near his home in Laguna Hills.
Before returning to California, James is due to fly out to Germany to interview their strongest man before tracking his world record attempt in Canada.
He will continue his research in America and hopes to complete filming on Game Changer and premiere it in London next year ahead of a worldwide limited release.
James added: “I love coaching so I have my own martial arts school in California.
“Once you learn something I think it’s important to pass it on to others which is what I’m also doing with the documentary.”
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Martial Arts World 