A CAGE fighter who has made Barnsley his home since moving to the town from Albania as a toddler is determined to put his adopted home on the map.
Qendrim Pallata, nicknamed ‘The King’, started cage fighting eight years ago and has had aspirations of becoming a professional fighter from a young age.
The 28-year-old father-of-two arrived from Albania when he was just two years old, and he’s now got is eyes set on ‘putting Barnsley on the map’ as he prepares for his second professional fight.
Qendrim, of Brettas Park, said: “I’m a professional cage fighter and I’ve got my second bout coming up on March 19 with Caged Steel at Doncaster Dome.
“A lot of people from Barnsley will know that I’m a fighter, but I want to make others aware and to put the town on the map.
“I started cage fighting eight years ago and I was ranked in the top five in the country as an amateur - I now want to make it to number one as a professional.
‘It’s my second professional fight and I won my first one - I now want to push on with my dreams and UFC is the big aim.
‘Winning this next fight would put me in a good position and higher up in the rankings - I want the whole of Barnsley to be following my journey.”
Qendrim, who trains at the Craig Burke Kickboxing Academy in the town centre, will fight Londoner Matthew Findlay in March.
