Dozens of aspiring fighters are being put through their paces to see who makes the cut to represent Eastern Province at the National Amateur Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Championships in a month’s time.
More than 30 amateur martial artists from across the province are now undergoing “assessment training” for coaches to gauge their skill level, before the final team selection takes place this coming weekend.
“We have two goals. The immediate goal is to select a team that can compete at nationals next month,” head coach Barry Duncan said.
“The second goal, the bigger picture, is to develop the sport of MMA in the Eastern Cape. It is one of the fastest growing sports in the world, and we want to put the Eastern Cape on the map as a breeding ground for talent.”
Duncan, a former professional fighter, along with his assistant coaches Gianluca Acquisto and Jason Hendricks, are running trials for the western half of the province, while a second group of athletes from East London and surrounds are going through the same process.
The two groups, totalling 32 athletes, will meet in Port Elizabeth on Saturday where a competition team and development team will be selected.
The competition team will travel to Gauteng for national team selection from 10 to 12 April.
“These trials are crucial, because we do not want to send anyone that is not ready. We want to be sure the province is well represented, and I would rather send a smaller team than send a large group that do not perform well.
“With that in mind, the development team is equally important. Guys that are not ready this year will be so much better next year, and looking at the talent we have here I am very excited for what’s to come,” Duncan said.
Mixed Martial Arts SA (MMASA) regional chair Lauren Rudolph said she is more than happy with the turnout and believes the Eastern Province can put a competitive team together heading into national trials.
Athletes included in the tryouts start as young as 12 years old, and they compete across various weight divisions as defined by MMASA.
“Due to Covid-19, this year’s tryouts were not open to just anyone. Only MMA gyms registered with MMASA were approached and each of them were asked to put a squad forward that they feel could make the cut,” Rudolph said.
“Now our highly skilled coaching staff have to put them to the test and at the end of the week we will see who makes the cut for April.”
Rudolph, who has been involved in organising several amateur MMA events in Nelson Mandela Bay, is assisted by her vice-chair Chris Bright, who has been part of the South African MMA scene for close to two decades. He brings a wealth of fighting and coaching experience to the table.
At this stage it is unclear when or where an amateur MMA world championship will take place this year, but Rudolph said it is important that the South African team is ready if the international competition takes place.
“For now our focus is on getting our guys ready to compete locally and to continue developing talent for future competition beyond this coming weekend and next month,” Rudolph said.
HeraldLIVE
EP team preparing for National MMA Championship
Image: Riaan Marais
Dozens of aspiring fighters are being put through their paces to see who makes the cut to represent Eastern Province at the National Amateur Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Championships in a month’s time.
More than 30 amateur martial artists from across the province are now undergoing “assessment training” for coaches to gauge their skill level, before the final team selection takes place this coming weekend.
“We have two goals. The immediate goal is to select a team that can compete at nationals next month,” head coach Barry Duncan said.
“The second goal, the bigger picture, is to develop the sport of MMA in the Eastern Cape. It is one of the fastest growing sports in the world, and we want to put the Eastern Cape on the map as a breeding ground for talent.”
Duncan, a former professional fighter, along with his assistant coaches Gianluca Acquisto and Jason Hendricks, are running trials for the western half of the province, while a second group of athletes from East London and surrounds are going through the same process.
The two groups, totalling 32 athletes, will meet in Port Elizabeth on Saturday where a competition team and development team will be selected.
The competition team will travel to Gauteng for national team selection from 10 to 12 April.
“These trials are crucial, because we do not want to send anyone that is not ready. We want to be sure the province is well represented, and I would rather send a smaller team than send a large group that do not perform well.
“With that in mind, the development team is equally important. Guys that are not ready this year will be so much better next year, and looking at the talent we have here I am very excited for what’s to come,” Duncan said.
Mixed Martial Arts SA (MMASA) regional chair Lauren Rudolph said she is more than happy with the turnout and believes the Eastern Province can put a competitive team together heading into national trials.
Athletes included in the tryouts start as young as 12 years old, and they compete across various weight divisions as defined by MMASA.
“Due to Covid-19, this year’s tryouts were not open to just anyone. Only MMA gyms registered with MMASA were approached and each of them were asked to put a squad forward that they feel could make the cut,” Rudolph said.
“Now our highly skilled coaching staff have to put them to the test and at the end of the week we will see who makes the cut for April.”
Rudolph, who has been involved in organising several amateur MMA events in Nelson Mandela Bay, is assisted by her vice-chair Chris Bright, who has been part of the South African MMA scene for close to two decades. He brings a wealth of fighting and coaching experience to the table.
At this stage it is unclear when or where an amateur MMA world championship will take place this year, but Rudolph said it is important that the South African team is ready if the international competition takes place.
“For now our focus is on getting our guys ready to compete locally and to continue developing talent for future competition beyond this coming weekend and next month,” Rudolph said.
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