Local rivalry to ignite MMA championship night

Ahead of the biggest ever mixed martial arts championship in Denmark today, fans are looking forward to a Dane-versus-Dane mash-up

A bill including six European Mixed Martial Arts (EUMMA) championship fights at Brøndby Hallen today will include a showdown between Morten Djursaa and Nicolas Dalby, two home-grown scrappers who are currently considered, pound for pound, the best MMA fighters in the country.

The match will reveal which of the modern gladiators is the stronger, as they step into the cage to battle each other in the 77 kilo class for the EUMMA Welterweight title. 

The fighters didn’t want to reveal their tactics, but both told Ekstra Bladet tabloid they are looking forward to a rough and nasty showdown.

“Morten is a very dangerous opponent who, like me, is strongest when he is standing up,” said Dalby. “So I am hoping for an explosive and intense fight between two of Europes best welterweighs.”

“It is going to be a heavy fight,” said Djursaa. “I guess he wants to win this fight as much as I do.”

Djursaa has 12 wins and four losses, while Dalby is undefeated with ten wins.

The EUMMA title bill is the biggest ever to be held in Denmark, and Brøndby Hallen expects a sold-out crowd of 3,000 fans to attend.

Besides the Djursaa and Dalby clash, there will be eight other fights, including a heavyweight title clash between Denmark’s Christian Columbo and Germany’s Andreas Kraniotakes.

MMA growing in popularity
MMA has long been portrayed as the world’s most violent professional sport, and it has become increasingly popular in Denmark, especially since Martin ‘The Hitman’ Kampmann made his debut on the American fight scene in 2006.

In August, the football club Brøndby bought a 20 percent stake in EUMMA, a continental MMA enterprise that is based in Denmark.

MMA started in 1993 as ‘ultimate fighting’ and combines boxing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay thai and wrestling. The rules are simple as there are barely any. Fighters are allowed to hit, kick, and to use their elbows and knees to choke their opponent, both standing and on the ground.

In the United States, MMA is the fastest growing sport. As a pay-per-view business, it already rivals boxing and professional wrestling. 

Although there is an urban legend that the sport is illegal in 18 states in the United States, MMA is legal in every one, and recent studies have found its injury rates to be similar to boxing and karate.

The EUMMA championship night will be broadcast live on TV3 Sport 1 from 7:30pm. 

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