Mixed martial arts: Organisers buoyed as Dunedin fans flock to fight nights

The fight game is having a revival in Dunedin, with sell-out crowds watching tournaments in the city.

Hammerhead Mixed Martial Arts is this weekend staging its third tournament in Dunedin in the past two years and has been forced to shift the event from the Coronation Hall in Mosgiel to the Caledonian Gymnasium in Dunedin because of the growing interest.

At each of its two early tournaments, 400 fans crammed into the Coronation Hall; 700 are expected at the Caledonian Gymnasium on Saturday night.

Big crowds have turned up to tournaments put on by other promoters in the city. This will be the fifth martial arts show in Dunedin this year.

Dunedin was noted for the big crowds that attended boxing and wrestling events in the city in the past, and the current martial arts fights are bringing the crowds back.

"Dunedin is an old fight town and the martial arts are taking off again," Howie Booth, the MC for this weekend's fights, told the Otago Daily Times yesterday.

"There has been a groundswell for the sport. The interest is huge.

"We have modelled our show on what they do in the United States and are driven to put on bouts to promote the local fighters."

The show on Saturday will include four kick-boxing bouts and five mixed martial arts fights.

Dave Burke, the manager and promoter of the Hammerhead fights, said the Dunedin shows were modelled on the Ultimate Fight Championships (UFC), which attracts millions of viewers when shown on US pay-for-view television.

"It is the fastest-growing sport in the world and attracts bigger audiences than Super Bowl and World Series baseball in the United States," Burke said.

The Hammerhead event will include ring girls, live music and a large video screen.

The big mixed martial arts bout on Saturday night is between Dunedin fighters Matt Toa and Dan Wadsworth.

Toa (28) has fought in the United Kingdom and Australia and is a former South Island super heavyweight kick-boxing champion.

Wadsworth is a newcomer to the sport but comes with a background in board riding and motocross.

The main kick-boxing bout is between Dunedin fighters Nick Taylor and Blake Tomlinson.

Taylor is a former South Island champion, and Tomlinson has lived, trained and fought in Thailand.

The event will feature the first use of a cage at a Hammerhead-organised tournament. Other promoters have used a cage in Dunedin.

Two experienced referees will control the fights: Chris Samson (Palmerston North) and Matt Te Pa (Christchurch).