The fastest growing sport in the world, mixed martial arts, is coming to Saskatoon again when Alpha Fight XC is showcased at TCU Place on March 13.
MMA fever has now attracted two University of Saskatchewan students who will make the transition from the classroom to the ring.
Like its popular, much publicized cousin Ultimate Fighter Championship, underground MMA circuits have been gaining significant ground throughout Canada in recent years and Alpha Fight is no exception. The much anticipated evening of MMA fights will feature some of the best fighting talent the prairies have to offer.
The full contact mixed martial arts Alpha Fight, sanctioned by Saskatchewan’s Martial Arts Association, features a combination of fighting styles and divisions that include MMA, Jiu-Jitsu, kickboxing, wrestling, Muay Thai and boxing.
While the city is no stranger to mixed martial arts events, Alpha Fight XC looks to be one of the best organized events to hit Saskatoon.
Event co-ordinator Troy Scheer, owner of Scheer’s Martial Arts, a colossal 30,000 square-foot gym located off Boychuk Drive and Highway 16, has managed to keep his facility one of the city’s best kept secrets among Saskatoon’s fitness circles.
The secret may come out on March 13, with eight of the 12 fights showcasing fighters from Scheer’s. The Saskatchewan line-up includes first-year pharmacy student Derek Gatz and second-year kinesiology student Claire Roberts. The rest of the talent being showcased in Alpha Fight has been pulled in from across western Canada.
Roberts will be fighting three rounds against another Saskatoon fighter in a modified Muay Thai kickboxing match. Gatz, meanwhile, will show off his skills in one of nine UFC-style caged fights.
The only difference between MMA fights on TV and Alpha Fight is that as an amateur tournament, fights will only last two rounds, with each round consisting of five minutes. That is, of course, only if a fighter does not first submit or knock out their opponent.
Gatz, the student pharmacist, will be making his octagon debut and looks forward to switching from dispensing pills to dispensing physical pain. Gatz does not think his fight will go the distance but rather plans to win it “as fast as possible.”
Speed seems to be Gatz’s style and only two years ago, with no fighting background, he walked into Scheer’s and began training in kickboxing and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Roberts, on the other hand, has been at it for much longer. This will be her second career fight after three years, having started martial arts training at a young age in youth classes offered at Scheer’s.
As a shorter fighter, Roberts’ strategy is to keep her opponent at a distance.
“And I plan on keeping her busy so she doesn’t have a chance to take over the fight,” she said.
Tickets for Alpha Fight XC can be picked at a numer of locations including Scheer’s Martial Arts, O’Brian’s Sales and Leasing, Winston’s Pub and O’Shea’s Irish Pub.
– –
With files from Ishmael N. Daro.