Shuriken Mixed Martial Arts head coach Jason Forster hopes a landmark deal with the UFC’s streaming platform will help grow mixed martial arts in New Zealand.
Vorster’s Shuriken Fight Series will make its platform debut on Saturday night, becoming the first New Zealand promotion to air on UFC Fight Pass, exposing local talent to a global audience.
Vorster told the Herald this is another important step in providing opportunities for mixed martial artists in the country.
“UFC Fight Pass is at the top of the food chain so everyone is trying to get on board with it. It’s good for New Zealand and it’s good for New Zealand. [the fighters]. It’s good for everyone and it’s great that the UFC can see talent coming out of New Zealand,” Forster said.
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“They have scouts who watch UFC Fight Pass and there are a lot of prospects coming from New Zealand so I think it will be good for everyone.”
It took years to build a consensus. Forster has been running shows in New Zealand for over 10 years, providing top local talent with a platform to hone their skills. Saturday night’s event card at Finda Stadium continues that trend, with UFC Fight Pass streaming the eight-fight main card and prelims being streamed by Combat Sports Network.
“It doesn’t just happen in one meeting. It took a little while, but through my good friend Peter Klotzko, he is part of the UFC and has competed in SFS for the last few years, and we We’ve been trying to get them to compete for the tournament, which culminated a few months ago, but this will be a first for New Zealand and we’re very excited,” Vorster said.
“I think by using the UFC platform we can strengthen New Zealand as a whole and New Zealand fighters and hopefully put us on the world stage. They love Kiwis. We all love stand-up. I love it.
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“Look at Carlos Wolberg, Kai Kara France, Dan Hooker, Israel Adesanya. They all don’t go to wrestle. They just want to stand up and punch people. When it comes to MMA, It’s always exciting to watch. No one wants to see them rolling around on the floor for 25 minutes. So they love the Kiwis for that and for the smaller gyms and fighters that come out of it. I think that’s a good thing.”
MMA has been on the rise in New Zealand over the past decade, with the likes of Adesanya, Hooker, Kara-France and Wolberg finding success at the sport’s highest level, the UFC.
Jason Forster’s Shuriken Fight Series promotion will debut on UFC Fight Pass this weekend.Photo/Sylvie Winley
“We’ve grown exponentially,” Vorster said.
“It’s obviously become mainstream in New Zealand because of countries like Israel and that’s really helped and it’s growing everywhere. Gyms are busy. Our gyms are busy, City Kickboxing I know [CKB] Oliver MMA, Oakland MMA, all the gyms are very busy. They’re all pretty busy, it’s crazy. Perhaps everyone, first of all, just wants to learn how to fight. Things are looking a little better now – Touchwood – which is lucky for Jim and Shaw. There are a lot of shows going on in New Zealand, it’s a good time for MMA and we’re riding the wave. ”
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As it stands, all fighters signed to the UFC who currently train in New Zealand train at CKB in Auckland, a gym that attracts fighters from New Zealand and other parts of the world looking to break out and hone their skills. ing. He will also compete on the big stage, including heavyweight Brando Pericic, who moved to Auckland from Australia to join CKB and will headline Saturday night’s card. The last Kiwi fighter outside of City Kickboxing to sign with the UFC was Hamilton Core MMA affiliate Luke Jumeau, who fought four times in the UFC between 2017 and 2019.
Vorster said while this was great for the sport in New Zealand, the chance to appear on UFC Fight Pass could open up other opportunities for fighters as well.
“Not to bring up CKB again, the reason a lot of people go there is because it’s a bit of a feeder for the UFC and that’s great. They’re doing a great job and really supporting New Zealand and showing , but not everyone wants to leave the gym, so maybe this will help get them noticed,” Forster said.
“We have a lot of great talent. I think Zach Bennett from Oliver MMA is very good and can go far. Matt Vaile, who left Core MMA, is one of New Zealand’s top fighters, but maybe If so, it may have been overlooked a little.
“In that regard, I’m hopeful that I can help other players and open up more opportunities for them without maybe having to leave the gym and go somewhere else.”
Christopher Reeve joined the Herald’s sports team in 2017, bringing as much diversity to our reporting as to our sports viewing habits.
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