The footballers from Viktoria receive unusual object lessons in the relegation battle of the third football league. From April 2nd, 16 mixed martial arts fighters (MMA) will be guests at the Viktoria Academy in Mariendorf for 14 days.
“We will produce a kind of reality show à la Germany’s Next Fighter. The winner receives a professional contract,” said Viktoria-Investor Zeljko Karajicawho also organizes so-called cage fights in Germany, to the dpa.
Mixed martial arts is a full-contact sport that allows punching and kicking techniques from boxing, kickboxing, taekwondo, and karate, as well as ground fighting and wrestling techniques from Brazilian jiu-jitsu, wrestling, and judo.
Despite the sometimes negative image of the sport, Karajica is particularly enthusiastic about the athletes. “These aren’t chumps who bang their heads and get bloody. These are incredible athletes and athletes, what they achieve,” said the 50-year-old, “the actual fight is the smallest issue, it’s the way they prepare.”
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The active people would concentrate much more intensively on their sport than in other sports. “If traditional sports cut off two slices, we would be light years ahead,” said Karajica.
