MMA Fighters gearing up for new Reality TV Show
European MMA promotion OKTAGON MMA has launched a new reality show in the UK and Ireland, with the first episode now available on the Channel 4 Sport YouTube channel.
MMA can be received as a violent sport where money is thrown at it by investors who know there’s millions watching. So, what’s it like at the grassroots level, where fighters are continuing to work hard to achieve their dreams.
MMA can be received as a violent sport where money is thrown at it by investors who know there’s millions watching. So, what’s it like at the grassroots level, where fighters are continuing to work hard to achieve their dreams.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 European promotion Octagon MMA has launched a new reality show in the UK and Ireland with
00:08 the first episode now available on the Channel 4 Sport YouTube channel.
00:12 The unique aspect of the reality TV show is that athletes will be competing in challenges
00:18 set beyond the sports world they are used to.
00:21 Each challenge is designed to take the fighters outside their comfort zones so fans can see
00:26 the true personalities and characters behind the steely competitors.
00:32 We knew Octagon were doing a reality show.
00:34 I have a couple of fighters on there like contestants, obviously lower level coming
00:39 through.
00:40 If anyone's been watching it, which a lot of people are, it's an incredible show.
00:44 Really well put together and all the guys are shining so I'm really glad that all parties
00:48 took the opportunity and got involved with that.
00:52 What's in it for the fighters?
00:53 Well, the final two remaining will make their Octagon MMA debuts at Octagon 48 at the AO
01:00 Arena in Manchester and fight it out for a five-figure contract.
01:05 Martial arts itself saved my life.
01:06 It gave me direction, gave me discipline, gave me focus and that's what a lot of young
01:11 kids need today.
01:12 They don't have nothing that they want to focus on.
01:14 Without martial arts, A-Con doesn't really exist.
01:17 Do you know what I mean?
01:18 I definitely would push my kids into it.
01:20 I push any one of the kids into it and even if they don't stick to it and fight, I wouldn't
01:25 steer them into fighting but I'd steer them into getting fit and training some jiu-jitsu,
01:30 training some kickboxing and seeing how their self-esteem improves and how better they do
01:35 in their life.
01:36 MMA is a sport that has grown massively over the last decade with more and more gyms being
01:41 built to support this unique type of fighting.
01:45 How important is the local side of things and are the grassroots of the sport continuing
01:50 to grow?
01:51 Leaps and bounds.
01:52 When I first started, I was getting told I had to go to America to improve.
01:57 Like I said, now we've got the rest of the world coming to Birmingham to train.
02:01 We've got a lot of UFC fighters on the mat, Benetton fighters and all world-class fighters
02:04 on the mat coming from all around the world to Birmingham to train.
02:09 That speaks for itself on what we're achieving, what we're doing.
02:13 We've got a solid team behind us that's pushing us every day and I'm excited for the guys.
02:18 So Akon, first and foremost, is an immense fighter.
02:22 He is on another level.
02:24 He really is.
02:25 So that's the first and foremost.
02:26 And then everything else he has is added extras on top.
02:29 When I first met him, I could see that he had the star potential, I could see he had
02:33 the skills, I could see he had everything.
02:35 You know what I mean?
02:36 You just need to guide him in the right direction for his career and we're on the exact trajectory
02:40 that we want it to be on.
02:41 Right now, everybody in the world can see that he is literally shining like a star that
02:45 he is.
02:46 So it's a very good moment to see it.
02:49 As fighters such as Akon are preparing for their battles with Octagon MMA, it was great
02:55 to see the impact locally that these set-ups are having to ensure they put the sport in
03:00 a positive spotlight.
03:02 [BLANK_AUDIO]