Youth, Talent, and Personality. Who is Teddy Stringer?

“One of the best prospects to come out of the UK in years,” commentators were discussing Teddy Stringer, who was only 2-0 in his MMA career at the time, walking out with the intention of getting his third victory. So what is this all about? Is Stringer actually legit, or just an overhyped youngster? 

Born in the UK, Stringer nowadays usually trains in San Diego, California under Marc Fiore and Jake Buracker. Teddy’s had a notable amateur career, winning the UK Fighting Championship and the Almighty Fighting Championship straps, getting to compete at the IMMAF World Championships in 2019 and 2021, and also at IMMAF European Championships in 2022. Besides the rare level of experience at amateur MMA, Stringer also has done plenty of grappling tournaments over the years, getting his BJJ brown belt.

The Englishman made his much anticipated pro debut in Cage Warriors, where the stakes are high, on June 2, 2023, making quick work of Bryant Shell via rear naked choke. Teddy then proceeded to absolutely batter Italio Julio Lima with nasty ground-and-pound in the very first round. 

Here, we got to this moment when the young Brit made the BEC Arena’s roof blow off, and commentators didn’t have other option than to talk about his star potential. That night, on March 15, 2023, Stringer got another first round rear naked choke to his name. Although Teddy came out victorious, his defence on the feet proved to be far from ideal, as the UK MMA scene’s up-and-comer was getting tagged by Diego Dickson’s knees time after time. In his latest outing, on July 25, 2024, Stringer yet again got the hold of the opponent’s neck, winning via rear naked choke for the third time in his four-fight pro career. To top it all off, Teddy also did not miss out on a chance to poke a little bit of fun at Maicon Kobayashi, who had to cut his hair to try and make weight before the short notice bout – unsuccessfully. 

Stringer is a very bright personality outside of the cage. The fighter is active on social media, showing the insides of the routine of a high level professional mixed martial artist, which is a very important key to tell the promoters about yourself nowadays.

Besides his fighting career, the Englishman is also a reporter for Mola Sport, so you might as well have seen his interviews with numerous top UFC fighters. 

Answering the question from the begging, I can’t say just yet. Being so young at 24 years old, Teddy has a lot going on around his career, and we have seen examples where it turns out great (Conor McGregor and Sean O’malley) and the ones where it goes pretty tragic (Sage Northcutt and Darren Till). So, as cliché as it is, only time will show.