Standing at six foot 5 inches tall, and weighing 140kg at 8% physique fats he’s bigger than life in each sense of the time period. Grappler, kick-boxer, MMA legend, and film star, the American, now 52 years previous, will captain Workforce Bangtao within the progressive QUINTET format that sees groups of 5 fighters compete in a team-elimination format.
Sapp made his title in PRIDE FC – a Japanese organisation that for a time was the world’s main MMA outfit. Now he, and fellow PRIDE legends Renzo Gracie, Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira, and the founding father of QUINTET Kazushi Sakuraba, can be reunited as they lead the 4 groups competing at Coca-Cola Area on October 23.
“It’s like this nostalgia occurring,” mentioned Sapp. “So after I see the blokes, I’m pleased to see them, however then you have got that pause and the aggressive spirit and the competitors comes out and I’m sizing them up and I’m saying, ‘Hmm, can my crew beat them?’.”
Sapp is used to competing on the large stage however this week, can be firmly on the sidelines. Again when he was competing, measurement (he weighed upwards of 200kg when competing) and stature made his a famous person in Japan – with the TV numbers to match.
“I used to be lucky sufficient to take one organisation from 300,000 to 300 million views in eight months. I graced the quilt of Time Journal, the Wall Avenue Journal, and I at the moment maintain the most well-liked televised combat in historical past with 54 million views.”
Workforce Bangtao consists of Kemoy Anderson, Lucas Barbosa, Alex Schild, Dong Hyun Kim, and PJ Barch, and Sapp is assured they will see of the challenges of Workforce Sakuraba, Workforce Gracie, and Workforce Nogueira.
“Workforce Bangtao is a crew that’s solid in hearth.
“There are a bunch of fighters that met collectively within the health club and have been by means of so much collectively. These guys have been by means of the trenches with one another. They’ve seen what it feels prefer to be that struggling fighter. They perceive what it feels prefer to nonetheless must stand up within the morning and must work. They’ve all are available in to ship an enormous victory.”
Alongside the crew matchups, QUINTET can even characteristic plenty of particular person super-fight on an evening the likes of which Dubai has by no means seen earlier than. QUINTET 5 takes place at Coca-Cola Area on Thursday October 23. Tickets can be found from https://coca-cola-arena.com/