Emdad Rahman
Fight fans are sure to be in for a real treat this summer as SENI, the Combat & Strength Show, rolls into town. The spectacle will take over The O2 on 16th and 17th July to deliver a spectacular weekend mix of fight sports and fitness.
The Combat & Strength Show (or SENI, as the martial arts sector has historically known it) is a collaboration of prestigious live events, fan experiences and international competitions. This year’s event will also sit alongside the first ever Bellator MMA fight night in the main O2 arena.
The event will officially open on Friday, 15th July with “Meantime”, a charity evening of white collar boxing. The Combat & Strength Show will then run across two days from Saturday morning through to Sunday evening, non-stop – hosted across every event space under the O2 tent.
The Combat element will showcase a wide range of amateur-driven events in Muay Thai, Amateur Boxing, Submission Wrestling and Knockdown Karate. The Strength side to the show will provide cutting edge fitness classes, fitness model, arm wrestling and powerlifting. It will also include the first official strongman amateur championships which will find the next big Strongman stars of the future. This has been organised by Giants Live, the qualifying tour for The World’s Strongest Man.
As well as the big events, both the Combat and Strength genres will also have displays, seminars and workshops as part of the weekend. There will, as always, be big names dropping by – such as Strongmen Eddie Hall and Thor from Game of Thrones, a mix of top boxers and MMA stars.
The Bellator MMA Experience Bellator MMA will bring across MMA legends to take part in the Bellator MMA Fan Experience. A ticket for the Experience will get fans into The Combat & Strength Show as well as a ticket to The Yankee Invasion fight night and the after party – and the opportunity to meet personally some of best fighters to have graced the Cage! Former big names such as Fedor Emelianenko and Royce Gracie are confirmed to attend, with more being added soon. This is all part of the dedicated fan experience that will connect the evening Bellator MMA fight night with the two-day Combat & Strength exhibition.
Fighting Spirit Film Festival The first ever action film festival will launch at Cineworld at the O2 as part of the weekend. The aim is to celebrate and screen martial arts movies from across the globe and its anticipated that the film festival will run yearly as a stand-alone festival and get bigger each year. The festival will also incorporate eFight, the first gaming championships and The Bruce Lee Convention which has successfully been organised in previous years in conjunction with the Bruce Lee estate.
•For more information, go to: www.CombatANDStrength.com/expo
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