Issue 126

March 2015

ABU DHABI, UAE 

AL BATAL TV SHOW CROWNS SEASON TWO CHAMPIONS

The second season of Arabian MMA reality TV show Al Batal finished with a bang when middleweight prospect Walid Akrouh and 155lb BJJ black belt Walid Seghir took home the belts. 

Akrouh – the youngest fighter on the show at 19 – won the middleweight strap by submitting Sofiane Seghir with an exquisite armbar, while Walid Seghir took a back-and-forth decision victory over Tariq Ismail, which ended in confusion when the referee raised the arm of Ismail instead of Seghir.

The third season of the hit show will feature featherweights who will compete to be the next Al Batal champions. 

SOMEWHERE IN LATVIA

MMA TEAM BOUTS COMING TO PPV IN 2015

If you’re one of the few people out there who thinks modern day MMA is starting to feel a bit stale and you’re looking to spice up your favorite style of fisticuffs, then Team Fighting Championships might be just what you’re looking for.

From what we can tell, the idea of this new MMA hybrid show is to have two teams of five from various countries around the world all fight each other inside a huge ring. Teams win by either knocking out or submitting each member of the opposition until there’s no one left. 

After watching several bouts, it’s safe to say that out of all the teams on the show, we were impressed by the brawling prowess of Team Russia.

The competition is currently (and likely to be permanently) illegal in the US but has somehow found its way to PPV broadcaster In Demand for those of you who thirst for a little more teamwork in your mixed martial arts.

NORTH CAROLINA

BJJ SPECIALISTS SHOWCASE SKILLS UNDERWATER

Here on Planet MMA, we truly appreciate the weird, wonderful and downright dangerous shenanigans those involved in the sport like to get up to. 

However, between the IFL rap and Dennis Hallman’s unique choice in fight attire, we thought we’d witnessed all this strange sport had to offer. That’s until underwater Brazilian jiu-jitsu was introduced to us and our minds were blown.

It might not seem like the brightest idea to attempt chokes while swimming around in a pool, but Michael Frison and Daniel Doran from Team Spider Monkey BJJ and the Rampage Fitness Academy thought otherwise. They took underwater photographer Erena Shimoda’s idea of taking pictures of female BJJ grapplers surrounded by water to the next level by filming themselves rolling in the deep.

Admittedly, it’s strange to see two men in gis pulling off submerged armbars, triangle chokes and sweeps while they’re holding their breath, but after a while it actually begins to look beautiful. Could underwater jiu-jitsu tournaments be the next phase in combat sports? Probably not, but that doesn’t stop it from looking awesome.

12

Russian MMA promotion M-1 Global plans to promote 12 events in 2015, including cards in China, Kazakhstan and Russia.

$200,000

Each Team Fighting Championships costs about $200,000 to produce.