Rhodes is the first university in the country to have its own Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) club, currently training 130 members in styles ranging from karate, boxing, kung fu and other fighting techniques.
Rhodes is the first university in the country to have its own Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) club, currently training 130 members in styles ranging from karate, boxing, kung fu and other fighting techniques.
The club began in 2011 with a small membership, taking over the floundering kung fu club that had virtually no members.
“MMA is considered the world’s fastest-growing sport and it shows here at Rhodes University,” said club media officer Stephen Dunser. The club has 130 members this year.
Dunser believes the Rhodes-based MMA club was the first university club to form in the world “and still the only one to exist in South Africa”.
Students rising to the challenge of this hardcore sport train in the Rhodes University Dojo (martial arts practice room) next to the Alec Mullins Hall.
Classes are split into advanced and beginners classes, taught by Aidan Brown and Kyle Valentine respectively.
Beginners classes are offered five times a week to accommodate the high number of members.
In these classes Valentine, Brown and advanced members teach the fundamentals of punching, kicking, footwork and grappling to the newbies.
Besides focusing on general fitness and body conditioning to avert injuries, members practice different fighting styles in class.
Self-defence also makes up a large part of their training, which teaches them practical and safe ways to defend themselves.
“While for ethical reasons we cannot engage in full contact MMA competitions we aim at starting a grapplers cup this year which will host three weight categories,” Dunser said.
The advanced class consists of 12 members selected by the coach who train together three times a week.
“The point of the advanced class is to build on basic techniques we’ve already learnt. We learn a lot more new styles and techniques compared to the beginners’ class. This helps us advance our skill set,” Dunser explained.
The Rhodes MMA club is affiliated with an independent MMA gym in Port Elizabeth and earlier this year invited well-known Extreme Fighting Championship Africa fighter Jadyson Costa for a three-day training course.
This weekend the club will host another training camp headed by Cape Fight League fighter Sors Grobbelaar.
