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Meet the St Helens mum turned MMA fighter that raised over £10k for charity
1 hour ago
A St Helens carer and mum-of-five has stepped into the mixed martial arts cage to raise £10,000 for several charities close to her heart.
The efforts of Tarita Gore, 50, have now been recognised after she received the award for being the ‘Most Inspiring Participant in 2025’ by Ultra Events – ahead of 18,000 other competitors.
Having previously participated in white collar boxing matches with Ultra Events, Tarita this time decided to take part in one of Ultra’s mixed martial arts contests.
Mixed martial arts (MMA) is the fastest-growing combat sport on the planet, and differs from boxing insofar as it takes place in a ‘cage’ or octagon, and participants are also allowed to use their legs and do ‘holds’ on opponents. It mixes elements from different martial arts such as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, wrestling, and boxing.
Tarita took part in an Ultra Mixed Martial Arts event at The Olympia in Liverpool on 19 December last year in front of over 1,000 people.
Tarita’s decision to step into the cage was driven by the desire to raise money for charitable causes which have all impacted her own life – St Helens Young Carers, Cancer Research UK, MIND and Child Autism – and to get back to full fitness after her own cancer scare.
Tarita said:
“Four years ago doctors discovered nodules on my lungs. My son Aiden does boxing and MMA and he said to me ‘Mum, you’ve got to fight through this’. And he meant it literally. We started doing pad work in the garden and ended up doing it five nights a week and I fell in love with it.”
This led Tarita to sign up for an Ultra White Collar Boxing Match – with her first contest taking place in 2023. She loved the experience so much she did a further two matches and in October 2025 began training to take part in an MMA contest.
Tarita trained at Evolution Fitness XL in St Helens – where she had the unique experience of training under her son, Aiden (30) who is an MMA and boxing coach at the gym.
Talking about the preparation, Tarita added:
“I am a full time carer to my son Levie (8) who has complex needs and is autistic and non-verbal. I was often training after just three hours sleep as that is sometimes how long Levie sleeps for – and when he is up, so am I. But the training gives me energy. It sets me up for whatever is coming next.”
Asked what it was like training under her son, she said:
“It was perfect – Aiden knows just how far he can push me in training because he knows me like no other trainer ever could. He really got me in great shape and it was lovely to get to share the experience with him.”
Participants like Tarita are given the opportunity to take part in eight weeks of free professional boxing training at gyms, before a showcase event in front of hundreds or thousands of spectators.
Tarita is also a mum to Shauna (33), Brooklyn (23) and Tia-Rose (8). Tia is a young carer for her brother, and the reason Tarita also chose to fundraise for Young Carers St Helens.
Talking of her experience on the night of the contest, she added “I was a little bit nervous but it was good nerves. And I think because of training with Aiden, I felt more confident than in previous matches. He had got me in great shape and we went in with a gameplan. I knew my opponent – Chloe – was good with her hands and had some boxing experience. So we decided I would try and take her to the ground and execute a hold in the first round.”
The approach worked and Tarita secured a win via a hold after 1 minute and 16 seconds. Talking of the moment she experienced victory, she added:
“When the referee called the contest and announced me as the winner I couldn’t believe it – I was in my element. The crowd went crazy, Aiden came in the ring and gave me a hug. It was brilliant.”
Tarita chose ‘The Glen’ remix by Levi Heron as her walk out music. Participants are also asked to choose a nickname for the night – with Tarita opting for ‘The Little Warrior’ to reflect her fighting spirit.
On the night of the contest, she was supported by a big group of 25 people, including friends and family.
Participants like Tarita are asked to raise at least £50 for their chosen charity – a target she comfortably surpassed many times over raising an astonishing £9,900.
Tarita’s effort and attitude stood out to Ultra Events and in its annual awards, Tarita was chosen as the ‘Most Inspiring Participant’ in all of 2025, ahead of more than 17,000 others.
Talking about this, Tarita added:
“When I got the call to say I had won the award I cried. They sent me a wonderful book illustrating my journey and reading it made me choke up. I really put my heart and soul into fundraising and every charity was chosen for an important reason.”
Asked what he would say to anyone thinking about signing up to compete, she said: “Don’t think about it – just give it a go. You will love every minute of it. There is a reason I keep coming back.”
So far, Ultra Events has raised a staggering £42 million for charity.
For anyone inspired by Tarita’s story to take part in an Ultra MMA event, the next event for those in St Helens takes place on Friday 10th July 2026 with training beginning from 18th May at Evolution Fitness XL in St Helens.
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