Click photo to enlarge
Kurt Winkleman crashes back after Godfrey Nosa lands a
punch during a prize fight as part of Fight Night at
Coronation Hall in Mosgiel in May. Photo by Gerard O'Brien.
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).
