Cage fighter Chris dominates

MIXED martial arts (MMA) is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world. And the South Coast boasts some seriously talented competitors.

Chris du Toit, the head coach at Legend Reapers MMA in Umtentweni, recently achieved first place in the main event (heavyweight) at the prestigious Shiroken MMA tournament held in Durban.

His student, William Marais, took second place in the middleweight division.

“William has been training with me for a couple of months now. He seems to have a natural talent for the sport and has increased exponentially in skill during his time with me,” said Chris.

The tournament comprised kickboxing, MMA fighting and grappling. There were about 36 fights in the different weight classes, from featherweight to heavyweight.

The sport is also known as cage fighting. “It’s a full contact sport that utilises a combination of striking and grappling techniques to outwit and ultimately defeat your opponent,” explained Chris.

It started in the early ’90s when a competition called the Ultimate Fighting Championships was held in order to answer the age-old question of which martial art is best.

“The sport has evolved so much since those early days and is currently rated as the most-watched and fastest-growing sport in the world,” said Chris.

Chris got involved in MMA’s early days in South Africa, after having being involved in various other forms of martial arts.

He explained that, in order to compete successfully, a MMA athlete or fighter has to be an expert in various disciplines, including boxing, Muay Thai kickboxing, karate, judo, Greco-Roman wrestling, Brazilian Jui-Jitsu, and some Russian sambo techniques.

“As a spectator, everyone loves watching an old school brawl, with punches and kicks but most people misunderstand what happens when the fighters go to the ground, where the technicalities of fighting are so much harder to master,” said Chris.

He said that such a high level of fitness is required to compete in competition that the International Sports Laboratories in the USA have dubbed the professional MMA practitioner as the ‘ultimate athlete’.

Interestingly, he added that, contrary to popular belief, serious injuries in the sport are not common.

“A very high level of safety is maintained at all times, governed by the South African National Sports Council and its affiliates. Personally, I have had worse and more frequent injuries playing rugby,” he said.

He enjoys pushing himself to the limit and explained that the very idea of entering a cage fight would intimidate most people to the extent where the butterflies in their stomachs have butterflies!

“The nerves never go away, and even the most experienced champions will vouch for this. The best thing to do is to try and stay focused, breathe and make sure that you are well prepared and you know your opponent,” he said.

MMA, as with professional boxing, is known for its smack talk. Chris summed it up like this: “A fighter getting into the cage not absolutely convinced that he can win has a huge disadvantage. If you lose the mental fight, you are very likely to lose the physical one as well.”

For more info about MMA and the club, contact Chris at 071 2273410.

“Everyone is welcome to join the club, irrespective of age, gender or fitness level. Most people join just to get fit or to learn to defend themselves, since MMA has no equal when it comes to self-defence. We have only one club slogan that you will find at most other MMA clubs, and that is ‘Leave your ego at the door’. We believe in mutual respect,” said Chris.

Check out the You Tube video on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTQhkchpzIU.