THE Glenavon Hotel in Cookstown is set to host one of the biggest mixed martial arts shows in Ireland in the New Year.
'Clan Wars 3' arrives at the revamped Senses nightclub in the hotel on Friday 12 February. MMA fans have the opportunity to witness first hand the best fighting talent from Ireland and beyond inside the octagon.
This unique event is Ireland's firs
t fully Sanctioned MMA contest from World Recognized Martial Arts body the ISKA. The ISKA are the sanctioning body behind many outstanding events such as Strikeforce, World Combat League and K1, Clan Wars Promotions have worked hard to bring this highly credible organisation to Ireland to develop the sport in a professional manor.
The promoters of the Irish ISKA Clan Wars event also run the IFS MMA fight team and are fresh home from a victory from a large ISKA MMA show in England called Fight Ikon, The IFS MMA team were the only Irish representatives and hailed the victors with a third round Rear naked choke from welterweight fighter Stephen Owens – this was a huge win for the club at a main stream UK MMA event.
And following on from a successful event in August, Clan Wars 3 has returned to Cookstown with an exciting line up and great-looking fights.
The main events will see the semi-finals for the Welterweight Pro Title shot (77kg) –the semi-finalists are John Donnelly from Ryano Gym Dublin, Mark Gibson from Elite 400 Craigavon, Mervyn Muholland from Juku Ryu Ju Jitsu Larne and Michael Reid from Gracie Barra Belfast.
Also on the card are local talented fighters including, Michael 'The Portglenone Hammer' Reid, Darren Hughes and Gareth Loughran from Magherafelt-based club Sudden Impact.
Clan Wars is the brainchild of Paul McLaughlin and Chris Tweed from Israeli Fighting Systems (www.IFSI.com) and Urban Krav Maga Northern Ireland as Paul explains, Clan Wars is a top quality and professional operation.
"We are proud to say that Clan Wars is the first ISKA sanctioned event in Ireland and we believe this is another step in raising the profile of MMA in the country.
"Our aim is to promote MMA in a more positive light in Ireland and show how it can bring all sides of the community together.
"One of the unfair criticisms of MMA is that it is a dangerous and barbaric sport. Nothing could be further from the truth. The fighters train hard and are highly skilled and conditioned athletes and with the involvement from the ISKA the event is highly regulated for maximum safety and professionalism.
"Safety is our number one priority at our events and we go through full coverage of risk assessments, Health and Safety Policies, Insurance cover and Pre/Post fights health checks.
"We will also have three doctors at cage-side plus a team of paramedics who are fully equipped with the latest medical equipment ensuring an extremely safe event for all the participants.
"One thing we ensure is that the safety of participants is paramount and this aspect is our number one priority."
Clan Wars 3 promises to be one of the MMA events of the year so don't miss the chance to be there. Tickets are available priced £25 from The Glenavon House Hotel; Allen's Chemist, Cookstown; The IFS gym, Antrim, online at www.completegymsnutrition.com and from the competitors.
