By Kyle Coppola
Leesburg’s Christian Williams Prepares for MMA Debut
Leesburg High School graduate Christian Williams, who goes by Christian “High Definition” Williams, will make his MMA debut in California on March 30th. Williams is a former football star for Leesburg High School and graduated in 2015. He was a 6’1″, 225 lb defensive end for the Yellow Jackets.
After graduating, Williams attended Warner University before getting the opportunity to play rugby in Gainesville. Following his rugby career, Williams found a love for MMA, known as Mixed Martial Arts. “I started my career in MMA to fight my built-up hidden depression due to childhood drama. I’ve always kept a smile on my face, but it was time to let it go.”
After starting his MMA career 5-0, he got the attention of a major company, CAMO MMA, in California. “They had a last-minute fighter who dropped out. I was contacted by CAMO, who said they saw a bunch of my fights. They said they had an open spot at an upcoming Pay-Per-View (PPV) show and that I would do well in it,” said Williams.
Christian “High Definition” Williams will be facing Brian Leos, who is 0-1 and listed at 245 lbs. “This is the biggest opportunity I have ever had in my professional fighting career,” says Williams. “I am excited but nervous at the same time. This is a once-in-a-lifetime offer, and I had to take it,” Williams excitedly said.
If Williams goes on to win this fight, it could lead to fighting at the sport’s highest level, which is the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). If Williams gets to the UFC, he would become the first Leesburg High School graduate to make it to that level of competition. While it would be great to get a deal to fight in the UFC, Williams is taking it one fight at a time. “I thank God for the opportunity and want to make Lake County proud,” says Williams.
Even making it to this level, Lake County is already proud of this young athlete. Williams has been involved with the sport of MMA for the past three years. MMA is one of the fastest-growing sports in the country and the world. Williams is just one of many individuals for whom MMA has provided a platform to let out aggression and help with depression.
We wish Christian the best of luck in his fight, and we look forward to following along with his career with great interest! Go, Christian!
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
