Combat sport has returned to campus after the massive success of Roses boxing in Central Hall this May.
The University of York’s MMA Club put on the event in D-Bar alongside the University of York Boxing Club who also helped organise the event. The crowd was well up for the event as over a hundred people poured in to watch five rounds of K1 kickboxing, and three rounds of good ol’ fashion boxing fights.
My main problem with the night was the exhibition elements of some of the matches. Though I hugely understand the need to remove the competitive edge to prevent injury and mismatches from occurring, unfortunately for the club, some of the best matches for the night were not adequately bookmarked by that climactic reading of the result by a Michael Buffer soundalike. I believe something was lost by this change, though I reiterate that it was probably the right one.
The evening was well-structured and exhibited the exact reason why combat sports are sorely missed in the hiatuses between their triumphant returns to campus which seem to happen around 4 times a year.
In YUSU Activities Officer Ollie Martin’s manifesto on events, which I massively agree with, there is a conspicuous absence of event sport. Now I am not digging Mr. Martin out by any means, he’s doing a lot of good. But a focus onto more events per term involving showpiece sports (darts, boxing, really anything you can drink at) would really invigorate interest in the sports on campus, and bring new members and spectators to the sport. The YUSU Events Intern job exists for a reason!
The composition of the set-piece was professional in the extreme with the switch between the two mediums keeping the pace of the event flowing and leaving me struggling to get an out for a toilet break and a pint.
Ultimately the problem with the event was that it left me with an insatiable appetite for seeing two Economics students twatting the shit out of each other in a place where Derwent first-years eat.
The wait, I fear, will go on for this desire to be satisfied. Oh well, there’s always Kendo.