Strength and conditioning coach Christian Vila is an experienced trainer based in Brighton, England, working primarily with those in combat sports under his Combat Ready Training banner.

As well as working with with the fight team at ZT Fight Skool, Vila has worked extensively with former Britain's Strongest Man and World's Strongest Man competitor Oli Thompson, who takes on ex-pro boxer Mark Potter at UCMMA this weekend. We asked Christian how he goes about increasing the athletic performance of such a well-versed competitor.

YourMMA.tv: Christian, you’ve been working with Oli Thompson for a while now since his switchover from Strongman to MMA. How was it taking him on initially and what kind of transformation have you seen in his physical traits over that time?

Christian Vila: Yes, I’ve been working with Oli for around two years now, making us a pretty tight unit now in terms of me understanding what makes him tick and what needs working on.

At first, I have to admit, it was quite daunting training an athlete of Oli’s calibre, but that quickly diminished as I realised he was a very easy person to work with. Having competed to such a high level in Strongman, Oli has an amazing ability to follow instructions easily and has a high tolerance to pain and fatigue.

You no doubt have a diverse range of clients at Combat Ready Training. How different is it for you when Oli walks through the door as opposed to what you might call a ‘regular client’?

Something all my clients have in common is that they all compete in combat sports or practice a martial art. The difference in working with Oli is that we have longer to plan and prepare for sessions, and can fully work through a rigid periodised training schedule lasting 8-12 weeks at a time. With average fighters, I’m lucky if I have five weeks with them before their bouts as often they take on competitions at late notice. This allows me to push Oli safely to his limits in each of his attributes, say agility, explosive power or endurance. Average clients won’t get this level of attention on each attribute due to the limited time we have.

Furthermore, when Oli walks through the door I know we’re going to kill it…take it to levels most people would not even dare strive for. Oli has a high pain threshold, physically and mentally. The average person does not, and I think this is what separates a top level fighter from others.

What is your ethos when working with an athlete of his calibre?

To provide a professional and bespoke service to each individual, working them hard, to their maximum ability without causing unnecessary damage or stress to their mind or body.

I’m noticing two trends in MMA strength and conditioning now that it has become a popular training form:

Firstly, coaches are beasting their clients, trying to take them to a point of throwing up or collapse. This only trains failure and will result in over-training. Any coach can do this. It’s not clever and won’t build champions.

Secondly, I’m seeing many coaches giving the same programme to all their clients, without taking in to account their goals, weaknesses and athletic abilities. You know who you are!

Quite topically, we’ve seen a couple of big guys in Junior dos Santos and Shane Carwin go at a good pace for the duration at UFC 131, and Carwin had slimmed down, which appeared to have an improved effect on his gas tank. Oli’s weight has dropped since his switch to MMA. Do you think this has helped him keep up the pace all the way to the final bell in the past (most notably at the ZT tournament) and is he where you’d like him to be, weight-wise?

Well, funnily enough, Oli is bigger and heavier than he was at the ZT Tournament. He is getting heavier with each training camp, but is also cardio fitter, stronger and more agile than ever. He is constantly evolving as a fighter and as an athlete. He certainly has dropped weight since his Strongman days where he competed at 150kg! There is no reason why Oli should stay at a certain weight as long as his other attributes continue to improve. We constantly test strength, power and cardio to ensure this. Oli is a rare specimen, with athletic attributes most middleweights would be envious of!

He has a big fight coming up for the UCMMA heavyweight title against former professional boxer Mark Potter. I know he’s recently returned from training in America with Cheick Kongo and crew. What was your first step following his return?

This training camp has been valuable for Oli as he’s had the opportunity to train and spar with some of the best in the world, without the distraction of normal life around him. We have continued this momentum by capitalising on his newly acquired skills and ensuring he is peaking just in time for his bout by focusing on his power endurance phase of training.

Is there anything in particular in the strength and conditioning side of things that you’re looking to achieve with Oli before the June 25th bout?

Just to keep the momentum of this excellent training camp and ensure Oli is injury free and the best he ever has been. Oli is the strongest, fittest and most skilful he has ever been. Potter will face a formidable opponent.

Thanks Christian. Anything else you’d like to add?

Just a big thank you to Oli himself for his relentless energy and commitment. I would also like thank Raptor Weight Vest for supplying us with one of the most used pieces of equipment this camp, and Sol Gilbert at ZT Fight Skool for an excellent training facility. Finally thank you for your time. See you all on the 25th June, come and say hello!

UCMMA 21 is live at The Troxy in London this weekend, with a stacked card of action which includes Thompson's title defence. See how Christian and Oli's preparation sets them up for the enthralling battle which will take place in the cage on Saturday night.

Keep up to date with Christian via www.CombatReadyTraining.co.uk and http://combatreadytraining.blogspot.com/.