Mixed martial arts fans in Ontario are set for a unique, combat treat at the end of February as Adrenaline Training Center and Pecker’d Services presents the third annual “32-Man Showdown”.
The Showdown will pit 32 of the best No-gi grapplers in the province against each other in a five-minute match, double elimination tournament. A bracket will be drawn prior to the tournament and then it will be non-stop action from the start to finish.
The event is being presented by Adrenaline Training Center and Pecker’d Services which is owned by Alex Gasson. Gasson is deeply involved in the local MMA community through his company and he helps run the show at Adrenaline, one of the top mixed martial arts training centers in the country. I was able to visit earlier this week to chat with the man running the show.
“There’s gonna be 63 matches, five minutes per match and possible overtime at two-and-a-half minutes. it’s Grappler’s Quest rules. It used to be single elimination but now that we have it going pretty smooth we can go match after match after match so we changed it.”
The event itself has grown in popularity in it’s third year of existence and Gasson has more help running the event. “It has gotten more popular and we have more people available to help out. I have also been working closely with the OGA, they know their stuff and they know how to put on a show. We have been working well together and will probably do more in the future.”
The Showdown is one of the few true open weight grappling competitions available and the list of competitors range from 135-pounds right up to 270-pounds. Gasson’s event came from his vision to see who truly is the best of the best.
“That’s how it started, from the idea of seeing who’s the real best. There are all these events that go through the tournament and crown a winner in each weight class, then at the end of the day they pit them against each other to see who the winner of the tournament is. I was like why not just start from the beginning and have that open style of format you know.”
Gasson is a trainer, manager and staple at Adrenaline Training Center and he continues to find ways to bring fun and competition to the community while teaching self defense and values through mixed martial arts.
The event will be held on Sunday February 26th, from 12-5pm at the Agriplex in London and will be held in conjunction with the “Sports and Recreation Show” held in the Western Fair District. A $5 entry fee to the Sports and Recreation Show is all that is needed to catch some of the most explosive action and athletes Ontario has to offer.
It is sponsored by Everlast, Brass Knuckle Therapy, Fight Planet, The Print Firm, Adrenaline Training Center and The Ontario Grappling Alliance.
I’m looking forward to seeing who will be Ontario’s Royce Gracie this year!
Dwight Wakabayashi is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA, MMA Editor at CKSN.ca and correspondent for MMACanada.net.
Catch him on Facebook and Twitter at wakafightermma.
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