Kamloops a proving ground for MMA circuit

Find the fight card — which is subject to change — for Mamba Fight League 12 online at kamloopsthisweek.com.

Mamba Fight League is expanding to the Interior and Okanagan — and Kamloops is stop No. 1.

The promotion’s next mixed-martial-arts event, Mamba

Fight League 12 Contenders, is slated to get underway at 7 p.m. on Friday, July 28, at the Tournament Capital Centre.

“It’s a nice show, like a UFC,” Mamba promoter Kultar Gill told KTW. “There will be local fighters there, guys from Vernon, Kelowna, Kamloops, Penticton.”

Two Kamloopsians — Zack Currie and Derek Apps — are scheduled to fight in their hometown.

Currie and Michael Evens of Coquitlam will square off in the 185-pound weight class. Apps and Chris Tremayne of Surrey are slated to clash in the 200-pound weight class.

One of the 14 tilts will feature females, with Nicolette Ling of Vancouver and Lizzette Miller of Kelowna set to throw down.

“If everything goes well, we’ll be in the Okanagan every year as an annual event,” Gill said. “It’s a great night out and a great event just to bring the whole community together.”

Gill said VIP table ticket sales are going well, but general admission sales have been a tad slow. He expects walk-up sales to be strong and would like to see a crowd of about 1,000.

“I’m older now. When we fought, our coaches and local promoters gave us the foundation and platform to train and fight,” Gill said. “From there, we launched to the international level. Mamba Fight League is here to launch the next generation of elite athletes and fighters.”

Novice and advanced kickboxing, amateur and advanced MMA and jiu-jitsu action will feature at the fully sanctioned B.C. Athletic Commission fight night.

Gill planned to bring a card to Kamloops a few years ago, including a retirement bout for River City fighter Matt (The Riot Maker) Baker, but the pandemic pre-empted the event.

“It’s an amateur event first,” Gill said, noting a licensed bar will be on site. “It’s our first time in Kamloops. We’re bringing the local amateur talent. If it all goes well, next year we’ll bring the professionals.”

Abbotsford, Langley, Richmond, Surrey and Burnaby are among cites that have hosted Mamba events. Gill said the circuit’s best-attended card to date took place in the Abbotsford Centre, with more than 4,000 in the crowd.

“The first year, it will go great,” Gill said. “After that, we’ll get more and more people coming.

“Kamloops is the Tournament Capital, so why not?”

For more information, call Gill at 778552-4411. Buy tickets online at vtixonline. com.