Rings Ireland - Announcement

john kavanagh · 11-08-2005 2:22pm #1

Rings Ireland

Plans for the future

The newly formed Irish Rings Council, a subset of the International Rings Organization, aims to promote the sport of Mixed Martial Arts competition in Ireland. Rings Ireland will hold up to 3 major shows per year in prestigious venues such as the National Stadium or The Point depot. Rings Ireland will also support the Ring of Truth series, the
Extreme Combat series and the Amateur MMA league which helps up and coming fighters gain valuable experience. The following 'Classes' will be used to denote fighters ability

Class A - full rules for fighters with 'national level'. These will be fighting in the Rings main events for ranking and title. Weigh ins will be held 24hrs prior to show to prepare fighters for weight cutting on the international circuit. These shows will have a high production quality giving the fighters a UFC/Pride feel to them, they will be contested in front of crowds numbering +1500. The aim will be to give the champions national level media attention and to build up stars with tv and magazine exposure etc.

Class B - full and amateur rules. The Ring of Truth series will continue to give fighters experience fighting in front of a crowd in a ring with same-day weigh in.

Class C - amateur rules, no head shots. The Amateur MMA league is a fantastic opportunity for up and coming talent to get the opportunity to compete mixed martial arts style in a very safe competitive format.
Go to www.mmaleague.com/ for more info. Any athlete wishing to compete in Rings events will have to prove themselves in the amatuer league first.

Class D - The Amateur MMA league Rookie division. As above however this is for first time fighters who will be matched against other rookies.

Each event will feature the best of Irish talent fighting for rank leading towards creating internationally recognized Irish Titles. The weight categories used will be those used by the International Rings Organization (available here http://bushidoireland.com/rules.asp) with the champions in each weight category making up the Irish Rings Team who will have the chance to represent their country in fully sponsored events all over the world. There is a trip planned to Lithuania next year for the top Irish fighters to test themselves against similar level international opponents.

To date the Irish MMA circuit has been fragmented offering different titles with no real structure as to how they should be contested, how often defended and who should be the number 1 contender. The Irish Rings Council will put in place a structured format with specific rules and guidelines for a ranking system to ensure equal opportunity for all MMA athletes to contest for their place on the Irish team.

Each Rings main event will also have 2-3 International Super Bouts. This is to give the crowd and the fighters an opportunity to see Class A International standard fights. These fights will be stand alone and not go towards the ranking system. Only Irish fighters may hold Irish titles. Irish champions will have a chance to compete for international titles however they will only defend their national titles against other Irish athletes.

Keep an eye on www.bushidoireland.com for the latest news on our next event Reborn – October 15th. This event will feature international Class A International fights featuring top fighters from around the world including Brasil, France, Holland and more plus a Class A full rules Muay Thai fight and of course the cream of Irish MMA talent fighting for title fight opportunities.

If you would like to be involved with the Rings Ireland organisation email ringoftruth@gmail.com.