Local fighter to tackle EFC Africa
A local MMA fighter from Rooihuiskraal is ready to fight the big fights at the most exciting fighting championship of the year, the Extreme Fighting Championship (EFC) Africa.
A local mixed martial arts athlete is set to debut in the Extreme Fighting Championships (EFC) Africa Hexagon in May. Gordon Rage Roodman (29) from Rooihuiskraal in Centurion, who has been fighting for four years, sees this as a milestone in his Mixed Marshall Arts (MMA) career.
According to media reports, Roodman is ready to fight whoever is set in front of him. “I’m here to entertain the crowd, I’m here to knock guys out and I don’t care who I need to throw down to do so,” he said.
Roodman’s passion for martial arts started when he was six years old and he took up karate lessons. He continued with karate until the age of 18, when he became a multiple South African champion with a world title.
He then moved on to kickboxing. “Once I won the world championships in my matric year, I took some time off for my studying,” he said. Roodman started studying law, but later switched to business management, in which he obtained an IBM diploma.
In May 2010, Roodman came across an amateur MMA tournament in Centurion. “I liked what I saw. The pureness of the fight captivated me. I was hooked immediately. Fighting is in my bones. It’s what I do and I’m only just starting a new chapter of my journey.” The following Monday he was in the gym, and the journey began.
For fight preparation, Roodman goes through a six- to eight-week fight camp that consists of training six days a week for four hours a day split into morning and evening sessions. “I work on my trademark striking all year round and have, over the last year, put countless hours into my ground game, ensuring I am a complete, all-round, dangerous fighter,” he said.
Roodman has not won any titles in MMA yet, but he has managed to build up a reputation over his amateur career for being a knockout artist, with KOs coming via straight rights, left hooks, head kick and body knees.
Roodman, however, is not all aggression and fighting, he has a soft side to him. He is a father of four and has been married to his supportive wife, Jo-Lize, for nearly seven years. He works in the corporate sector for Supercare Hygiene as a sales executive, but his passion for MMA should not be undermined, as he has also been involved in regulating and officiating MMA in South Africa for the past three years. The event takes place on 1 May at the Carnival City Big Top Arena, Johannesburg.
