Noah Tyndall recently became an overnight social media star.
The 12-year-old Liverpudlian has been training in mixed martial arts for four years and during that time he’s earned a yellow belt in Jiu-Jitsu and won gold medals at tournaments.
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However, the youngster and his family didn’t expect Noah to become one of the most talked about people in MMA as he’s still several years away from being allowed to fight professionally.
But that’s exactly what happened when footage from his title bout against Ceejay Fenton at Meltdown Fighting Championship 11 in Bristol last month made its way online.
An edit of the fight was uploaded to TikTok and quickly racked up 38.2 million views and many more on the other social media sites it was shared on.
It shows Ceejay entering the cage while mimicking the actions of UFC stars Jon Jones, Conor McGregor, and Leon Edwards before getting in his opponent’s face.
When the fight got underway, both competitors traded body shots - head strikes were not allowed due to their age – before Noah pulled guard looking for a submission finish.
It wasn’t long before he locked up an armbar and earned the tap.
Winning a title at any age is a massive deal, but it became much bigger when the internet caught wind of the fiery fight between two baby-faced MMA prospects.
Noah’s mum, Susanne Riley, told the Liverpool Echo: “We don’t even understand TikTok but it went mad.
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“People keep sharing it. We've got creators who are sharing it and talking about him. It's just gone mad. I never expected anything like this to happen.
“I didn't think for one minute it would be global. We’ve had numerous messages from different places in the world.”
Away from his obvious talent and newfound fame, Susanne was most impressed by the way her son treated his opponent in the aftermath of their scrap.
She said: “I’m super proud of him. When he won this last fight, he went straight to his opponent and consoled him.
“Just the way he carries himself, the way he is, kids all over the country know him and he's a role model for the upcoming generations.”
Noah’s family struggles with the nature of his chosen sport, but the young scouser seems to take it, and all the attention it has brought him, like it's nothing.
Susanne concluded: “I go to every fight he does, and it never gets easier. You're always nervous, you’re always worried.
“He’s been taking it in his stride. You wouldn't know he’d become a little star overnight because, at the end of it, he's still a 12-year-old boy.”