With a vision of martial arts beyond his time, Hong Kong’s Bruce Lee created his own revolutionary style, one which combined the best from all the different forms of the world’s martial arts. While for thousands of years, martial arts advocated a singular approach, Lee believed: “When one has reached maturity in the art, one will have a formless form.” From this revolutionary philosophy emerged Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), the world’s fastest-growing sport.
Now Hong Kong is set to host its first ever professional MMA tournament. Organizer Legend today unveiled details of the tournament, to be staged at 7:30pm on January 11, 2010, at the Hongkong International Trade & Exhibition Centre (HITEC) in Kowloon Bay.
Eighteen champion martial artists from Hong Kong, China, Australia, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, and Mongolia will feature on Legend’s inaugural event card, with two exciting co-main events and a Hong Kong athlete who is fast making a name for himself in this respect sport.
Former King of Sanda, Zhao Zilong, will face MMA champion Vicente Pajaro of the Philippines in the first of two headline events, with reigning Australian Lightweight Champion Adrian Pang competing against South Korea’s Spirit MC Champion Yui Chul Nam in the second.
Chinese-Australian Pang, who has studied Kung Fu in Mongkok, is not the only Legend competitor with ties to Hong Kong, as Kenny Yeung will compete against Khuukhenkhuu Amartuvshin in the 70-kg class. Born and raised in Hong Kong before moving to Australia, Yeung can count on strong fan support as he returns to his hometown for the city’s first MMA competition.
MMA derives from martial arts disciplines from across the globe, including Sanda (China), Brazilian Jujitsu (Brazil/Japan), Judo (Japan), Karate (Japan), Muay Thai (Thailand), Boxing (Greece), Sambo (Russia), Tae Kwon Do (Korea), and Wrestling (Greece).
Under a strict set of competition rules, athletes compete in a timed freestyle tournament, with the best martial artist emerging at the end. As a result, this unique form becomes the ultimate in martial arts – complex, yet adaptable and highly entertaining to watch.
A popular sport throughout the world, MMA has achieved mainstream sport status in many countries and regions. In the Asia-Pacific, MMA continues to grow exponentially with more and more Chinese and Asian athletes taking up the sport, either professionally or for recreational purposes.
Tickets for the debut Legend competition are priced at HK$300, HK$600, HK$1000 and HK$1200 and are available from HK Ticketing, Tom Lee outlets and select martial arts facilities.
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