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 Crew Bangtao within the revolutionary QUINTET format that sees groups of 5 fighters compete in a team-elimination format.
Sapp made his identify 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, shall be reunited as they lead the 4 groups competing at Coca-Cola Area on October 23.
“It’s like this nostalgia happening,” mentioned Sapp. “So once I see the fellows, I’m completely satisfied to see them, however then you’ve gotten that pause and the aggressive spirit and the competitors comes out and I’m sizing them up and I’m saying, ‘Hmm, can my group beat them?’.”
Sapp is used to competing on the large stage however this week, shall be firmly on the sidelines. Again when he was competing, dimension (he weighed upwards of 200kg when competing) and stature made his a celebrity 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 duvet of Time Journal, the Wall Road Journal, and I at present maintain the most well-liked televised battle in historical past with 54 million views.”
Crew 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 Crew Sakuraba, Crew Gracie, and Crew Nogueira.
“Crew Bangtao is a group that’s solid in hearth.
“There are a gaggle of fighters that met collectively within the fitness center and have been by means of rather a lot 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 group matchups, QUINTET may also function quite a lot 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/
