Gym 01's Elliott Hoye believes first professional MMA loss will make him better fighter

The flyweight, who trains at Fratton's Gym 01, suffered his maiden loss in paid ranks against Liam Gittins at Almighty Championship 13 last weekend.

Having racked up five victories inside the distance, Hoye was stopped with just one second remaining in the opening round in York.

The Brighton-born ace stressed the result was nothing to do with Gittins being the superior fighter, however.

Hoye felt he wasted unnecessary energy throughout the fight, with his opponent able to take advantage of his fatigue.

But the 23-year-old pledged he’ll learn from his mistakes and will come back stronger.

Hoye said: ‘Losing is never fun but I’m glad some inefficiencies in my approach have been highlighted.

‘The fight was pretty even for the first few minutes.

‘I hit a few takedowns but he managed to scramble up every time – I just wasted my energy.

‘I was inefficient with my style. I hit four takedowns in three minutes but I wasn’t stabilising the position properly.

‘I was rushing and it gave Liam an opportunity to scramble up without spending a lot of energy.

‘If I’d have used the position well and he got up, I’d have landed some big shots in the process and tired him out.

‘When we got to the four-minute mark, my energy was gone.

‘We both threw down for the last minute and Liam had loads more energy. On the bell, it got called off and it was a shame because I’d recovered after about 20 seconds.

‘I just approached the fight all wrong – I didn’t treat it like a 15-minute fight.

‘But I’m glad it’s been highlighted now while I’m still young rather than on a big show in the future.’

Hoye’s set for a quick return to the cage when he meets Aaron Laleye at Battle Arena 57 in September.

And he’s determined to bounce back.

Hoye added: ‘I lost to him as an amateur so I’m looking forward to avenging that defeat.

‘I’ve got two more fights this year and hopefully end it 7-1.

‘At 23, I can't be too sad about that.’