Local fighter to represent SA in Africa and World MMA Champs
Gauteng emerged as the top performer at the recently concluded South African Mixed Martial Arts 2024 Nationals, which highlighted the skills of young athletes.
Two local teens from Wiekus Swart Grappling (WSG) Academy in Randpark made Gauteng proud at the 2024 Mixed Martial Arts South Africa tournament in Durban.
The tournament saw the top youth and junior MMA athletes in their respective provinces competing for a chance to represent their country later in the year.
Caleb Swart (15) brought home gold for a second time, taking first place in the under 67kg weight class, and dominating his opponent with a textbook take-down, leading to a keylock shoulder submission. With this win, he secured his place on the South African MMA team and will represent the country in Namibia at the Africa MMA Championships in May, and in Abu Dhabi at the World MMA Championships in October.
Caleb explained that he loved competing and it’s his favourite thing to do.
“It was great being with the whole Gauteng team and being in Durban to compete. It was very well organised with over 100 competitors from all over the country. There was only one other person in my weight class, so I only had one fight, which I won. I’m very excited to represent my country and I have been training hard and hope to win. I am expecting to fight a guy from Namibia and from Angola.”
He added that the best part for him at the MMAs was the team spirit, getting ready to walk into the cage, and of course, winning in the way he planned.
“I had to weight cut which was quite tough as I like food a lot. I also trained really hard and usually train three to five hours a day. It is tough but I love it. I was very happy with my performance and that I had prepared so hard, and the hard work paid off like it did.”
Terrence Tawana (19) based in Blairgowrie won his first match by split decision and lost his second match in the same way, to the winner of the 61.2 kg division. This win earned him a bronze medal.
This was a massive achievement as he has only been training in MMA for seven months and is a testament to the high level of training of the Gauteng MMA team, along with his coach Wiekus Swart who also trains Caleb.
Coach Swart, a third-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu said, “I am filled with pride by our athletes and the preparation they all put in to do so well at this tournament. Their determination, focus and teamwork were the key factors in bringing home the medals and doing Gauteng and our academy proud. We can’t wait to see how they do in the upcoming Africa and World Championships.”
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