MMA continues growth in Middle East Europe and China

If there was any doubt that the growth of Mixed Martial Arts had slowed in any way, this last month has proven that the sport is burgeoning powerfully into new territories – with extraordinary interest and backing.

Bellator MMA enjoyed a sell out event in Tel Aviv, Israel, last week – where even PM Benjamin Netanyahu met prominent legends from the sport – before the fight league moves to Florence, Italy, next month, while the UFC has its first show in mainland China tomorrow as Britain’s Michael Bisping, recently deposed as the middleweight king, returns to action just 21 days after fighting Georges St Pierre, in a headliner with Kelvin Gastelum in Shanghai.

The sport, whose traditional stronghold is the United States, rarely stops for breath.

In Tel Aviv, rocking to the strains of a new wave supporting the combat sport, Bellator 188 competitors Noad Lahat, who once served in that country’s special forces, and Haim Gozali along with heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko and Bellator brand ambassador Royce Gracie, met with Prime Minister of Israel Netanyahu at the nation’s Parliament in Jerusalem.

Netanyahu, 68, moreover, has a personal interest in martial arts, having been a practitioner of taekwondo – the Olympic sport – during his life, and during the visit, Netanyahu expressed his support for the Bellator event, the second show in Israel and wghuch featured two prominent Israeli fighters at the top of the card, as Lahat and Gozali competed in co-main events, both winning their bouts.