National MMA Championships come to York

 

The University of York MMA club are holding their very first Mixed Martial Arts Championship here in York on 3 May in the Roger Kirk Centre.

The fighters from York will be competing against universities from Hull, Bradford, Liverpool, Cambridge and Nottingham.

York Vision Sport spoke to one of our event’s organisers, Dimitri Kyriakou, to find out more.

How was the event set up? What is the story behind it?

As we cannot compete in Roses or Varsity (Lancaster and Durham, don’t have MMA), we decided to set up our own event.

Our beloved fighters will be competing in an octagon following Amateur A, B and C class rules against opponents from various universities across the country.

What can people expect from the event?

There’s going to be a DJ, ring girls, people smashing each other’s faces, and wristbands for Revs.

What is the current state of MMA at the University?

We’ve never had this many members since I started here in 2011, and we have a core diverse pool of members.

There are a number of ticket options for the event, with standard tickets starting at £6, balcony tickets for £9 offering a better view, and a limited number of ringside tickets available for £12.