FIGHTING
Deon Potgieter
Fight fans who were fortunate enough to witness the classic confrontation between Phillip Ndou and Cassius Baloyi at Carnival City earlier this month may have thought they were watching Xtreme fighting.
While those two warriors gave their all in combat, they were however limited by the Marquis of Queensbury’s rules and regulations.
Come this Saturday the Big Top arena at Carnival City will be playing host to a no-holds-barred (NHB)international combat extravaganza featuring 11 bouts between practitioners of various combat disciplines.
NHB tournaments are growing in popularity worldwide and are set to become a regular fixture on the South African sporting calendar.
Most martial artists are tied down by rigidly practising “dead” patterns, according to Matt Thornton, one of the most highly regarded coaches in functional martial arts and no-holds-barred training.
Thornton is in South Africa with two of the fighters being featured on the bill in Brakpan. United States heavyweight Forrest Griffen, who practices vale tudo, takes on local 15-times national wrestling champion Wiehan Lesch in the main bout of the evening.
In the main supporting bout US fighter Rory Singer faces up to local Ludwig Strydom, a practitioner of Brazilian jin-jitsu and a gold-medal winner in last year’s European pankration champs held in Israel.
The NHB bouts are not about the technicalities or names of punches, kicks and grips used. “I want them to wonder about two things,” says Thornton. “Can I make it land and can I make it hurt.”
Mail & Guardian readers who want to witness what promises to be an exciting evening of hand-to-hand combat many fights lasting no more than 30 seconds can call Romy between 4pm and 4.15pm on Friday on 0825659256. The first five callers will receive free double tickets to Saturday’s “Pride and Honour” extreme fighting.