A former contestant on The Apprentice wants to put Southampton on the map in the martial arts world as he aims to invest in his home city.

Sohail Chowdhary appeared on the business-styled reality show in 2022 and was eliminated by Lord Sugar after seven weeks on the BBC show.

However, the Southampton entrepreneur has used his exposure and connections made from the show for good, by opening Limitless Martial Arts in Southampton.

Situated in Empress Road, Bevois Valley, the martial arts gym is open to people of all ages – with children as young as three able to go along – with both beginners and novices able to try their hand at the likes of kickboxing, judo, boxing and mixed martial arts (MMA).

Speaking to the Echo, Sohail said: “It’s a family-friendly martial arts club but it’s a proper MMA gym as well, so we’re taking training to the next level in Southampton, developing good fighters but characters as well.

“We’d like to put Southampton on the map in the martial arts world.

“The feedback has been good so far; people seem to love it. We’ve had people come here from all over Southampton and as far away as Fair Oak, but it’s early days yet.”

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Sohail Chowdhary (centre) at Limitless Martial Arts in Southampton (Image: Supplied) With the facility costing more than £50,000 to put together, Sohail – who is a fourth Dan in kickboxing – aims to invest and promote his home city and give children the same experiences that he had as a child.

“It was very expensive to put this sort of thing together, we want to build a community,” he said.

“We’re expanding a sister club in London, but I’d rather invest my money here.

“I grew up around here, if I had a place like this when I was growing up, I’d have loved it and been here 24/7.

“It’s crazy because last week we saw some kids rocking up for five out of the seven days we do classes, and they loved every single one. I’m more than happy to invest tens of thousands into Southampton.”

Though he’s yet to be visited by Lord Sugar, Sohail added: “When you go on a show like that, you’re in front of nine million people and there’s so many opportunities at hand. I’ve stayed in touch with everyone from the show.”