Mixed martial arts contest to be held in Singapore on November 30
Mixed martial arts may appeal to a niche market but it is getting more popular in Singapore.
On November 30, Singapore will be playing host to the King of the Cage competition, where mixed martial arts experts from America, Australia, and Southeast Asia will be sparring in a cage.
In mixed martial arts, different martial arts forms such as wrestling, boxing, karate and muay thai come together in a competitive setting.
Unlike many other martial arts, the match continues even when your opponent is down on the ground.
Victoria Ti May Li, a corporate finance associate, explained, "It helps you to protect yourself and you are a bit more confident in handling certain situations...like in nightclubs or something, a guy comes and picks you up...or if they try something on you..."
The mixed martial arts community in Singapore has about 500 people and about a quarter of them are women.
So is it a case of anything goes?
Chris De Wet, Mixed Martial Arts Instructor, Contact Kinetics, said, "No, there are a number of rules. It is very important for us to look after the safety of the competitors first and foremost. In the ring, you have a number of rules, depending on the promotion.
"For the upcoming King of the Cage event, we'll be able to do 2 or 3 five-minute rounds using strikes with the hands, with the forearms, with the knees, shins, throws, submission holds...all of these are legal within the framework of competition."
But though there is always a referee, like most martial arts, injuries are hard to avoid.
Associate Professor John Whalen Bridge, Department of English Language and Literature, National University of Singapore, said, "I've been warded twice. Once, I had a slight injury on my neck, I went to my chiropractor and she said take it easy, so I went to class and took it easy that night. (It didn't help) so I had to get a week of bed rest after that. The second time, I (suffered) a broken nose and had a slight infection."
Aaron Koh, Participant, King of the Cage, Trainee Teacher, said, "There is always an element of danger, but that is where your hard training comes in; you try to keep yourself in shape, you try to train with experienced people, try to train with your buddies...I trust all of them not to hurt me."
Three years ago, there were no clubs in Singapore for mixed martial arts, but now there are about six. - CNA
