MOST people will enjoy something special for their 40th birthday – a night out, a party or a family gathering.

But that was never going to be enough for Southend’s Dan Burzotta.

And the former captain of Great Britain’s Ji-Jitsu team has therefore decided to come out of retirement to compete at AWOL’s next fight night at the Talk night club in late October.

“I've always wanted to have one more fight,” said Burzotta.

“I'm two months away from turning 40 so I thought now would be as good a time as any to come back after 10 years.

“I'm doing it for a good cause and will be raising money for the MacMillan Cancer Trust.

“I'm training for it already and when I first started a part of me was thinking man, what am I doing.

“I'm normally the one doing the coaching and shouting at the fighters to run or punch harder but now I’m joining in with it all.”

Burzotta, who owns the popular TSG gym in Westcliff, opted to retire from fighting himself back in 2004.

The birth of his son helped him to make up his mind.

And continuing to fight was no longer a viable option for him.

“I retired for a lot of reasons,” recalled Burzotta.

“I had been competing since I was 16 and I achieved pretty much everything in that time,” he said.

“I was in the British team for eight years and won eight gold medals with them.

“I won an MMA world title but in the end I stopped because of the amount of time it took ME away from my family.

“Back then I was travelling to London three times a week to train and I couldn’t justify all the hours, especially as it wasn't financially beneficial for us.

“Having to take days off work wasn't really viable and there were also a lack of opponents.

“But it isn't like that so much now.”

As a result, Burzotta can now prepare thoroughly for his come-back bout.

Things have now also turned full circle with other fighters travelling down to train at his gym.

They commute from Birmingham, Kent and London to be put through their paces by Burzotta.

And training with them fills Burzotta with confidence ahead of his fight.

“I train and spar against guys all the time which has kept me fit and I've always held my own against them too,” said Burzotta.

“I don't actually know who I will be fighting next and I'm not too fussed ABOUT who I fight either.

“I don't think the top guys in this country would actually want to fight me because I have a good reputation.

“So I think it will have to be someone international who will fly over.

“There are no concerns on my behalf because I've been training for 25 years.

“I don’t get nervous anymore, I just get excited.”

Echo:

Family man - Dan in his restaurant Il Pescatore 

Whoever Burzotta does fight could be slightly less excited if he takes a look through his opponent’s fighting CV.

Burzotta has captained Great Britain’s Ji Jitsu’s team, fought and beaten the best in the world, competed in South America, won world titles, boasts numerous black belts and beat Francis Carmon, one of the best fighters currently in the UFC.

He now passes on that experience to some of the best up and coming young fighters in the country.

And he has made south-east Essex a hot-bed for talent.

“I brought MMA to this part of this world,” admitted Burzotta.

“TSG was the first gym to specialise in it and it set the foundations for the others,” he said.

“People originally thought it was for people with their faces splattered everywhere.

“But over the years with the UFC becoming more popular it’s been changed from cage fighting to MMA and it’s become more mainstream.

“Now my students are builders, one is an accountant, one in a dental practiCe so they come from all walks of life.

“The condtioning you get from it, you won’t get from everything else. It's a full body work out and very single part of you will ache once you've done it.”

But aside from his fights and cooking a storm in the cage, Burzotta also runs his own restaurant.

And he can therefore regularly be found working in Il Pescatore in Queens Road, Southend.

“It’s a family business and I run the restaurant with my dad,” said Burzotta.

“It makes for a busy day.

“I’ll train in the morning before coming to the restaurant and finishing about four.

“I'll go home to see my children then be back at the gym at six and I'll be there until about 10.

“Then it all starts again the next day and I'll be at the gym again first thing.”

However, Burzotta’s fighting prowess also lowers the risk of any trouble in the restaurant and it has also led to some apologetic customers.

“It’s normally fine but on the odd occasion something has happened people have come back the next day when they've found out who I am and have actually said sorry,” said Burzotta.

“But 99 per cent of the time we have no problems and I absolutely love everything I do.

“It keeps me busy and I wouldn't have it any other way.”

Fight night tickets can be bought from Il Pescatore restaurant or the TSG gym in Westcliff.