Toti’s mixed martial artists grapple with opponents
The Submission Kings is the biggest grappling event in South Africa. It involves gripping or grabbing an opponent, holding them in a dominant position or to submit an attacker.
FOUR Bushido MMA Gym athletes participated at the Submission Kings, Queens and Kids grappling event held in Umhlanga recently.
Three of the men are KZN MMA athletes from Bushido MMA Gym in Athlone Park, and one is a professional athlete. They are Brendan van Zyl, Kyle Clark, Johnathon Rourke and Andile Gaza.
“Professional athletes from the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) have entered, Dricus du Plessis is one of them,” said coach Greg Thomas.
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The event’s categories are belt and weight, however, with the event being a round-robin, every competitor got multiple matches on the day. This format also gave competitors the opportunity to fight against other belts in their weight class, to showcase their skills and put their training to the test.
Brendan van Zyl won silver in beginner/ white belt 65kg. Kyle Clark won gold in men beginner/ white belt 65kg. Johnathon, light heavy weight, came fifth out of 11 competitors in the submission only division. Andile, a profession athlete, won silver in submission only 70kg, silver in men beginner/ white belt 70kg and bronze in an open event.
“In preparation for the event we focused on technique, fitness, sparring and grappling. All my athletes train for free as long as they give me 100% commitment,” said Thomas.
Andile has been contracted to the Extreme Fighting Championship (EFC) for his debut set to take place in September, while members of Bushido MMA Gym are currently training four to five hours every day, six days a week, in preparation for SA Nationals taking place in Gauteng from July 21 to 24.
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