Tell us about the partnership with Last Fighter Standing (LFS). What is Fight Club SA’s role in the production and running of the series in South Africa?
Rudi: I view our role as being the practical partner to the event. We have infrastructure that allows for fighter training, development and education with regards to the event. Given that LFS is a new format, I believe that the real task at hand is getting fighters to familiarize themselves with the rules and processes. Fight Club will be spending quite a considerable amount of time and resources on making all aspects of this available to the fighters during the next couple of months.
In the press release announcing the partnership and the event to come in 2016 it is said that the format of Last Fighter Standing breaks away from traditional Mixed Martial Arts in the UFC and EFC Africa. Could you explain to fighters who would like to take part In the event, and also to fight fans out there, about the system and format of the competition?
Rudi: What we are trying to achieve is an event that is exciting to watch and compete in. The traditional format has lots of grappling and stalling on the ground, which takes away from the skill a lot of guys have. Given that points are allocated for domination on the ground some fights become a hugging fest. LFS allows you 20 seconds on the ground, if you can’t finish there, its back up and at it. All disciplines have their place but I believe we quite possibly will have one of the best events for both fighters and spectators.
It is also mentioned that despite the competition being based in South Africa currently, it will eventually expand its scope to include Africans from around the continent. When will that be and will LFS and Fight Club SA fly in fighters from around Africa into South Africa to be a part of LFS?
Rudi: Yes definitely. The South African event is the start, but for me the event I am most excited about is the African Championship. We intend having a fighter from every African country competing in the event, and to televise this across the continent. This will be a totally unique event, as never before has the African continent been united with a representative from each country participating in a fighting tournament.
Besides exposure for fighter what other perks are there in this competition?