Kicking up mixed martial arts

“Fight for Peace,” a world muaythai and kickboxing championship event at the Resorts World Manila’s Newport Performing Arts Theatre on Oct. 23 is going to be another breakthrough event for its Filipino organizers. Upon cursory examination, it looks like a great stand-alone card, replete with fighters from China, the US, Australia, Japan, Malaysia, Iran, Canada and the Philippines. But it is part of more than one advocacy shared by the partners who put the event together. Not only does it aim to find a great Filipino mixed martial artist to catapult to the world stage, it aims to advocate sports as a more peaceful way of acknowledging differences between countries.

“We want to help promote peace between China and the Philippines. There’s already so much being made of the Scarborough Shoal, and we can deal with it more diplomatically,” says promoter Tony Reyes, who is also looking for Filipino trainers for his chain of mixed martial arts gyms in the US. “So instead of fighting each other, we hope to show that we can fight alongside one another. Filipino and Chinese fighters can take on opponents from the rest of the world.”

A few years ago, Reyes was closely involved with the establishment of the WBC Muaythai, which he now heads. It was a pioneering acknowledgment of how MMA has prospered into a wildly popular new professional sport. It is also starting to reach record-breaking audiences in the world’s largest market, China. In the first two events organized by Reyes and his group, he has been able to tap into the growing fan base in the mainland, and has sown that it is possible to reach at least 100 million viewers, more than the entire population of the Philippines.

Promoted by World Team USA in partnership with WulinFeng of China and with TV5 as Philippine broadcast partner, “Fight for Peace” will be broadcast live on China Henan TV and is expected to reach no less than 200 million viewers, a record for an Asian mixed martial arts event. Reyes’s partners include veteran broadcaster Atty. Dong Puno, businesswoman Aby Villanueva and media and public relations practitioner Ed Dames, who serves as the event director.

“The Filipino is so talented that it is a shame they have to go abroad just to support their families,” adds Reyes. “And after they serve the national team in their respective disciplines, where do they go? If we bring world-class events here, maybe they won’t need to be separated from their loved ones.”

In line with this other advocacy, the organizers are studying the feasibility of putting up an international mixed martial arts training facility in the brand-new Miravana spa resort in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, where they will have all the space to train and be away from all distractions. Philippine sports being so politically polarized, having a unique training center will also protect the purity of the sport. When the training center is open, it will be for everybody interested in receiving the best possible mental and physical training for the sport.

There will be 10 bouts on “Fight for Peace” showcasing various martial arts disciplines and featuring international champions from various countries. Locally, audiences are starting to appreciate the different permitations of martial arts, and the excitement and quickness of fighters in the lower weight classes. Many of the fighters on the card have impressive knockout records. Even in the lone female kickboxing bout, J. Hayes of World Team USA battles Asian Sanda champion Gong San Li of China. Hayes has only lost once in nine bouts, registering eight knockouts in total. 

Currently, World Team USA is exploring partnerships with multinational sports promotion outfits in the US to connect the growth of MMA in Asia with the more mature market in north America. They will be able to supply a pipeline to massive audiences from Asia, while the American experts will be able to further polish the product and deliver global advertisers. It is going to be a dream pairing.

“This is just the first of a series of world-class events we plan to organize in the country to provide a platform for brands to promote their products and for our fighters to compete against the best in the world and to be discovered by bigger promotions group in the future,” Dames added at the event’s press conference last week. “We are hoping to also shine the spotlight on outstanding Filipino mixed martial artists and lead them to a bigger arena.”

For 2013, the organizers are planning at least six more events to provide a steady source of income for local fighters as well. A magazine featuring original content from the region is also in the works. Other platforms for promoting Philippine and Asian MMA are also being developed. For the event itself, other promotions such as an international female ring announcer and meet and greet opportunities for ticket holders will be announced.

“Fight for Peace” is presented by ClubS, an international online gaming company, and supported by Philippine Airlines, Resorts World Manila, Miravana Resort Spa, Vitality Clinic, DTC Promos and Above Beauty. Tickets are available at Resorts World, Ticketnet and Ticketworld outlets or through 0920-9543599.