Iraqi Kurdistan's young sportsmen put on gloves
Fighters from all over Iraq and Lebanon compete in the first mixed martial arts tournament in Erbil.
ERBIL, Iraq –– Blaring hip-hop music, break-dancers, flashing lights and a large mixed martial arts (MMA) cage transformed the Erbil International Hotel into a compact sports arena on the evening of Sept. 14.
Fighters warming up in the hallways, punching into the air before stepping into the cage to jab, kick and grapple their opponents resembled a scene from an American film — however, this is Erbil and its first ever MMA event.
“This is a new thing in Erbil,” Mohammed Ali, a Basra native who took up MMA after moving to the capital of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan Region, told Al-Monitor. “It’s not just war and misery here. There are good things too.”
Nine fighters from Iraq and one from Lebanon participated in the Sept. 14 tournament organized by Black Mamba MMA & Crossfit, an MMA gym in Erbil; a belt from the Iraqi Combat Fighting Championship was awarded to each of the winners.
