KNYSNA NEWS - The organisers of an inter-region mixed martial arts (MMA) tournament held in Knysna this past Saturday are staging more tournaments in the town this year, and establishing it as a drawcard for MMA practitioners in the Southern Cape and from the Eastern Cape.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu
The tournament was hosted by the Knysna Titans MMA club, and two trainers there, Dwayne Pike and Kallan Grant, said besides Knysna, the event had attracted Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners from George, Mossel Bay, Oudtshoorn and Plettenberg Bay, and they aimed at having practitioners from Gqeberha at their next tournament.
"We decided to start holding tournaments here because it's not feasible for someone from here (Knysna) to travel five, six times a year to compete in tournaments," Grant said.
'Bigger competitions'
"We'd love for our competitions to get bigger, so people from the whole of the Southern Cape and from PE (Gqeberha) will come and take part."
Pike, the head trainer and owner of the club, said 16 people, including children, had taken part in the tournament, the second one the club had hosted this year.
Family members watch proceedings.
Good sportsmanship
The bouts on Saturday were overseen by Pike and Grant, and they, and all competitors, displayed good sportsmanship throughout proceedings, the winners overcoming their opponents without gloating, and their opponents losing gracefully.
The watching family members of the participants echoed this ethos, cheering on their charges amid a soft techno beat.
'Everyone versus everyone'
Competitors were not placed in weight or belt categories.
"Normally they (competitors) are divided into weight categories, and according to how advanced they are - and are normally divided between belts - but here today, it's everyone versus everyone," Grant said.
Seeking leverage on the floor.
'Leverage, technique'
"The premise of the sport is that a smaller person can overpower someone bigger than they are, using leverage and technique to overcome strength and power.
"We try to keep it in the spirit of why this martial art (Brazilian jiu-jitsu) was started."
Pike said the club, which has about 40 members, would hold its next competition on 29 March.
The winner of Saturday's tournament had received a cash prize, and those in first, second and third place, medals.
The results from Saturday's Abso (a jiu-jitsu term, short for "absolute", meaning no weight classes/belt divisions) tournament:
1st: Tiaan Booysen (Plett)
2nd: Jo Nel (Mossel Bay)
3rd: Franco Wait (George)
4th: Kallan Grant (Knsyna)
5th: Kevin Delacovia (George) and Dwayne Pike (Knysna)
7th: Steven Bahlmaan (Mossel Bay) and "Zanenodean" (Knysna)
9th: Garth Reynolds (Knysna), Jean-Pierre Botha (George) and Etienne Massow (Knysna)
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