MMA, kickboxing showdown set in Balamban

CEBU, Philippines —  After two years of clamor, Cebu fight fans will be treated to another explosive mixed martial arts and kickboxing show as Yaw-Yan Ardigma Cebu Martial Arts stages the maiden edition of the Cebu Fighting Championship dubbed as ‘The Wait’ on December 30 at the Buanoy Sports Complex in Balamban, Cebu.

Cebuano MMA patron and Yaw-Yan ArDigma Cebu founder Master Benigno ‘Ekin’ R. Caniga said the goal will focus on the up and coming amateur MMA and kickboxing fighters that have potentials to someday represent Cebu in local or international stage.

Master Ekin chose Balamban as the venue as he wants the fans from the far-flung places to experience the thrill of MMA and kickboxing action.

“I know fans have been longing for another MMA event. The purpose of this tournament is not only to give venue for our MMA fighters to showcase their talents as this also serves as a selection process for me,”  said Master Ekin in a press conference the other night at the Yaw-Yan ArDigma Cebu headquarters. “With this tournament, I can identify the names of the prospects that will be included in a bigger professional MMA and kickboxing card next year.”

The slambang card that will feature stick-fighting matches in the preliminaries is co-presented by Lapunti Arnis de Abanico of Grand Master Edgar Caburnay.

“I am ecstatic for this because we will have a chance to not only give martial arts action to Balamban fans, but also to educate them about MMA, kickboxing and stick fighting as means of self defense,” said Caburnay.

The rest of the card is yet to be finalized but Master Ekin said they will have six MMA bouts, four kickboxing matches and four pairs of arnis fights.

In MMA, amateur fighters will deal with a four-minute per round during bouts, shorter than the five-minute per round used in the pro. The competitors will use a standard MMA gloves and will not wear a headgear.

The weight classes to be contested are the strawweight (115 lbs.), flyweight (125 lbs.), bantamweight (135 lbs.) featherweight (145 lbss.) and lightweight (155 lbs.). There will also be special categories for women and kids.