Barebones 'Rise of the Queen' showcases Cape’s MMA talent

Barebones MMA Championship is establishing itself as Cape Town’s stage for amateur fighters.

The promotion held its sixth event on Saturday, with groundbreaking developments at its core.

The future of South African mixed martial arts (MMA) is certainly heading in the right direction. Local promotion Barebones MMA held a groundbreaking sixth event on Saturday, giving aspiring fighters the opportunity to showcase their skills in one of the fastest-growing sports on the planet.

In less than a year and a half, the Barebones MMA Championship (BMC) has given Cape Town’s mixed martial arts a new platform to flourish. Launched in June of 2024, the promotion has already staged six successful events, with Saturday’s "Rise of the Queen" card the latest installment in BMC’s rise in South African MMA.

It was a groundbreaking night of firsts for the BMC, as they streamed the event live on YouTube and had a women’s title fight main eventing the card.

Saturday’s event at the Sunningdale Sports Complex saw the inaugural women’s flyweight champion being crowned as, MADFit MMA’ Tara Abrahams beat Ayesha Majiet of Fighterz Inc’s by submission in round four.

The newly crowned women’s flyweight champion thanked her team after she got her hand raised in the main event.

"We have a saying in our gym – iron sharpens iron and I’m surrounded by the best in the business, Don 'Magic Man' Madge."

The event kicked off in the afternoon with junior bouts as the next generation of fighters got a taste of what stepping into the cage is all about. That was followed by an exciting preliminary card that had its fair share of first round finishes and knockouts.

The promotion’s rise has been nothing short of remarkable given its limited sponsorship constraints.

Despite being a platform for grassroots MMA, Barebones have gone from strength to strength while ensuringthat the Mother City’s athletes can showcase their skills.

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