The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas Open Martial Arts Championship will reach another milestone in Mixed Martial Arts when the first ever cage fight is hosted in the Bahamas.

The BOMAC Cage Fights 1 is scheduled for 7pm April 25 at Mario’s Bowling and Entertainment Palace.

Fighters from Trinidad, Jamaica, the Cayman Islands and United States will compete alongside top local talent on the bout card.

Organiser of the event and Empire Mixed Martial Arts founder, Dr Kent Bazard from the Beast Mode Fight Team, said that he expects the appeal of cage fighting to grow in the Bahamas.

“This is just the beginning of things to come. We’ve come a very long way in the sport. I think from here on, BOMAC will have cage events at each of our events,”  said Bazard.

“Cage fighting will make a huge impact because it’s a little different from fighting in a ring. We want to push the sport locally.”

The cage fight event is billed as a part of the larger BOMAC Championships which began in 2010.

BOMAC traditionally features an Open Forms and Weapons tournament, Point And Continuous Fighting, amateur Sanda/Sanshou, Pankration, Grappling and amateur MMA.

BOMAC has hosted over 500 competitors from 11 countries in its history.

In addition, it also hosts various martial art seminars by world-class instructors.

Local fighters expected to take part include Giovanni Johnson, Dj Brown, Pierre Simmons, Tyson Isaacs, Cameron Lewis, Marcian Tucker, Kenny Neymour and Jasmine Wilchcombe.

The tournament will feature five weight classes, including 125, 135, 145, 150, 170, 180 and 200 pound divisions for men and a women’s division at 115 pounds.

“The Bahamas will be well represented. We have been doing very well outside of the Bahamas,” Bazard said. “All of the fighters are excited to showcase their skills right here at home. We usually fight in a hostile environment so to have our people here at home encouraging us is huge. We really want Bahamians to come out and support these fighters because it is going to be a fun and exciting show.”

This event is sanctioned by the Bahamas Mixed Martial Arts Association, Florida Combative Sports, The Bahamas Wushu Sanda Association and The Bahamas Martial Arts Federation.