Sometimes you need to feel the pain of defeat to enjoy the glory and spoils of a championship victory. This was especially the case for local fighter, Zhane Tannous of the Coalition Grappling Academy (CGA) after he went through various roadblocks to finally get his hands on the AMMA Light Heavyweight title.
Tannous, who trains under the well-known Potch based EFC professional fighter, Roevan de Beer, beat Josiah Obasi in the third round via submission (triangle choke) to win the title at AMMA 12 at the Heartfelt Arena in Pretoria on Saturday, 29 January.
It was a case of relief and jubilation for Tannous and his team after his previous fight against Obasi ended in a split decision defeat last year. “Ever since that defeat I was switched on to take him (Obasi) on again in the rematch. I trained really hard and focused on my cardio to make sure I was physically fitter. I learned a lot from that defeat and I had a game plan for the championship fight. I basically used his own tactics against him,” stated Tannous.
“It was absolute euphoria and relief when he tapped out. The fight was originally scheduled for December, but got postponed due to Covid-19 omnicron. I really had to stay strong over the Christmas and New Year period knowing that I couldn’t let anything slip after intense preparation. It’s just a fantastic feeling to finally win the belt after such a long buildup and wait,” he added.
Tannous, who hails from Orkney, mentions that he started pursuing Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) because he was bullied as a teenager at school.
“There was a period where the commentator stated that my opponent (known as The Bully) was bullying me in the fight. That actually just inspired me even more to win and dominate the match to take the title.”
Tannous credits De Beer for his quick rise to the top of AMMA, referring to the top quality training that he and his team at CGA brings to the mat. “Roevan and Charl (Bouwman) have been brilliant and it’s a joy to train under them. All the hard work really pays off.
I have grown immensely in the sport thanks to them,” states Tannous, who has been training under De Beer for a year and a half. Tannous also paid his dues to his strength and conditioning coach, Charles Itumeleng Monaheng.
“He really goes the extra mile to keep me in top shape.” For now, Tannous and company can bask in the championship victory, but knowing Coalition Grappling Academy this is only the start of greater things to come where no one will rest on their laurels.
