Supported by Éric Favre through his organization Éric Favre Nation, many wrestlers plan to get into MMA. This is particularly the case of Ada Fass, Son of Balla and Petit Lô who will descend into the octagon next month.
“I always wanted to do MMA so today it’s a dream come true. I will train hard to beat my opponent. I want to warn him here that he has one hell of a client.” declared Petit Lô after signing his contract to challenge Mano Israel on November 30 in Abidjan.
This exit of the wrestler from the cleaned up plots testifies to the motivation of the wrestlers to showcase their talents in the discipline of mixed martial arts which has become the new El Dorado of Senegalese athletes. Like Modou Lô’s nephew, Ada Fass (Fass Benno stable), Fils de Balla (Guédiawaye wrestling school) and Alboury have signed contracts with Éric Favre Nation to make their MMA debut on November 30 in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
“These wrestlers are being exposed and I object to that…”
However, while he welcomes Eric Favre’s efforts to promote MMA and Kickboxing in Senegal, boxing coach Habib Diabong has particular concerns about the ability of wrestlers to take up challenges in such a short time. against seasoned adversaries.
A combat sports specialist, he maintains that it takes at least one to two years of preparation to allow an athlete to imbibe the fundamentals of MMA.
« Wrestling is very different from MMA. Our wrestlers are strong at bringing their opponents to the ground. But they don’t have the basic notions like submission, arm lock, heel lock etc… They have to take the time to learn because it’s impossible to prepare for an MMA fight in less than two months. It is true that the financial gain is enormous in this discipline but we must be concerned about the physical integrity of our wrestlers (…) I was able to see some fights of Petit Lô’s opponent, and I can tell you that he’s a hell of a fighter. He has the advantage of size and he can capitalize on it using kicks. Then comes the physical aspect of MMA which requires a lot of energy because it is three intense rounds of 5 minutes” said coach Diabong, also coach of Modou Lô and Franc.
Wiwsport.com
