Local MMA fighters excel at champs
All five fighters train at House of Tinkerbell on Nigel Road under the tutelage of JP Kruger.
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Five of Springs’s best mixed martial arts (MMA) athletes competed in the MMA South Africa Amateur Championships last weekend and walked away with gold medals.
The championship took place in Edenvale and featured 149 of the top amateur fighters in the country.
The competition took place over four days and the fighters needed to be at their best to stand a chance at winning.
The local fighters train at House of Tinkerbell on Nigel Road under the tutelage of JP Kruger.
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The following fighters won gold medals:
• Nathanial Komana (featherweight, 66kg senior)
• Peace X Nguphane (welterweight, 77kg senior)
• Reece Lagesen (bantamweight, youth)
• Justin Walker (featherweight, youth)
• Nico van der Merwe (bantamweight, youth)
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“We did very well, and I’m glad all our hard work paid off,” said Komana.
Gift Walker worked as an assistant coach and Komana said his advice was of great help.
“I feel honoured and blessed at what we accomplished, ” said Nguphane.
“This is my third gold medal in the welterweight division and I’ve had to work very hard to achieve it. I’m also proud of our whole team, it’s great having a coach like JP who was there for us every step of the way.”
Kruger is immensely proud of what his fighters achieved.
“I’m so proud of our athletes that stepped up at the competition. They’re all champs in and out of the cage. With everything we achieve, Jesus gets all the glory,” said Kruger.