Witness The Art of War MMA Event at Beijing Olympic Sports Center Saturday Night

Steven Schwankert | Jan 16, 2016 2:45 pm | Add a comment | 2269 reads

The Art of War will be held on Saturday, January 16, 2016 (tonight) at the National Olympic Gymnasium. Tickets are available at the venue, find more information from Damai..

China's earliest professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)  tournament is about to return. On December 16, “Art of War Fighting Championship” held a news conference at the Beijing Kerry Hotel. Founder Mr. Bi Si’an officially announced the return of the event for January 16, 2016.

In 2005, Bi Si’an, who was the world's leading integrated fighting master, founded “The Art of War” in Beijing. This English name comes from the famous Chinese military classic The Art of War by Sun Zi. Bi Si’an believes that China should also have a place in the rapid development of mixed martial arts around the world, since the country itself has a long history of martial arts. “The Art of War” will be the first time athletes from different fighting and wrestling styles will compete in front of a Chinese audience. This is the first and only mixed martial arts event approved by the Beijing Academy of Martial Arts.

Over the past few years, MMA events have exploded in China, attracting international competitions. At the same time, the level of tournament athletics is also rising, attracting fighters from home and abroad, and also giving more Chinese fighters the opportunity to compete internationally. Former “Art of War” champion boxer Zhang Tiequan has won a number of mixed martial arts events and became the first Chinese person to enter the world's top MMA event, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Government support for the movement has created a good environment for the development of MMA. In October 2014, the State Council stated that it would accelerate the development of the sports industry to encourage people throughout China to participate in sports.

Bi Si’an said that he hopes to turn “Art of War” into an international brand through a series of  events, welcoming MMA athletes, along with traditional martial arts, boxing, judo, and wrestling athletes.

The organizers said that the January 16 event will be hosted by boxing legend Michael Buffer, with famous international MMA referee Yuji Shimada refereeing the matches.

Bi Si’an said: “Compared to six years ago, the level of competition in China's MMA field has greatly improved, and “Art of War” hopes to showcase that."