By: Maurice Quek

IT IS brutal, unscripted and, to its growing fan base, absolutely real. And it may make its way onto local shores soon.

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), with its jaw-breaking punches, bone-shattering kicks and paralysing grapples, has garnered a huge cult following in the United States in recent years.

And a group of local exponents, from diverse martial arts backgrounds, are planning to organise the first-ever local MMA tournament.

While no date has yet been confirmed for the tournament, they are already deep in preparation for the tough bouts.

When my paper visited their training on Monday, they were already drawing buckets of sweat while warming up.

When training began proper, there were grimaces of pain whenever they suffered a blow from their training partners.

But rather than complain, they gritted their teeth and counter-attacked with harder blows of their own.

Said Mr Aaron Koh, head of Contact Kinetics, an MMA gym in Singapore: "This tournament we plan to set-up is purely for experience - no prize money or trophies."

Many obstacles lie in the way. Mr Koh and his team have to find a suitable arena to house the eight-sided cage, get enough sponsors and also hire a medical team.

What they do not lack, however, are participants.

These hardcore fighters, aged from 20 to 42, come from all walks of life, from businessmen to teachers and national servicemen.

"This is a good way to relieve stress," said Mr Ken Ng, 42, a driving instructor who trains twice a week.

"Ultimately, it's a sport to keep fit just like any other."

Mr Koh, a primary school teacher, added: "I know many gyms raring to compete but can't, owing to the lack of MMA events."

TheMMA community in Singapore is still relatively small, with about four gyms actively practising the full-contact sport.

However, popularity is slowly growing, just like in the US.

For example, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a popular MMA event in the US, has its bouts readily available for viewing over the Internet.

A US-promoted King of the Cage tournament held in Singapore two years ago also drew an enthusiastic crowd.

With a local tournament, Mr Koh believes that standards will definitely improve as the fighters get toughened up.

"This will be an excellent opportunity for local fighters to record their fights and gun to participate in international competitions," said the 28-year-old.

Indeed, MMA enthusiasts hope they do not have to wait long for this event.

"I hope to have the tournament this year, but it will depend a lot on our ability to source for resources," said Mr Koh.

For more my paper stories click here.