After getting gut-punched by the COVID pandemic, mixed martial arts is back on the Prince George fight scene and on Saturday, May 20, for the first time in four years, the city will host a live tournament.
The Northern B.C. Combat Challenge kickboxing and grappling championships, to be held at the Prince George Secondary School gym, is a double-elimination submission -only tournament.
The action will be fast and furious with two submission grappling mats, a striking martial arts ring, and a demonstration area where athletes will show the variances of their fighting styles.
“We’ve got teams coming for Fort Nelson, Prince Rupert, Dawson Creek, Terrace, Smithers, Quesnel, even Kamloops and Vancouver,” said tournament organizer Karm Manhas. “It’ll build up as time goes on.”
Manhas, who operates Kaiten Mixed Martial Arts gym in downtown Prince George, says it’s been difficult for his business to survive the pandemic years and the strain it put on his finances during the lockdowns and forced closures which kept his gym dark.
“I closed my business down so many times, every time there was a wave (of the virus), but we’re back up and running and we’re excited about that and it’s going good,” said Manhas, who reopened his gym last July.
“Every two weeks it seemed there was a new emergency so I was pretty scared to do anything. I cancelled my internet, I canceled everything just to survive, just for a few months until I felt comfortable.”
The tournament starts at 9 a.m. May 20th and participants are required to register online.
