Fight club craze comes to town

When Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) fought the unnamed protagonist and many others in the Hollywood blockbuster Fight Club, millions of global viewers were introduced to the brutal world of no rules fighting.

It was gripping stuff - sadistic, violent and definitely not for the faint-hearted.

The reality of such extreme fighting sank home when heartthrob Pitt walked away from fights battered and bruised.

But, if you thought such fights only happened in movies, or that it was an illegal practice, think again.

No rules fighting, or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as it is known, is fast growing in popularity in South Africa and various parts of the world.

Jiu-Jitsu (meaning "gentle art") is a discipline from Japan that can be traced back thousands of years, to the roots of ancient wrestling techniques, but is believed to have first

originated in India.

The idea is to use your opponents' energy against them, and it is appealing because smaller men and women can defeat heavyweights.

It is a form of self defence that takes place almost entirely on the ground, and is unlike any other fighting technique. Fighters use snake-like grappling moves to choke their opponent or, using the weight of their entire body, press against key joints, thus bringing opponents closer to breaking point.

Losers acknowledge defeat by either tapping their fingers on the ground or by saying "enough".

In the late 1800s Jigoro Kano developed Judo, a version of Jiu-Jitsu, to preserve the art's realistic effectiveness, as the day of the Samurai was coming to its end.

One-hundred and twenty-years later, a Japanese ambassador to Brazil, Mitsuyo Maeda, befriended a politician, Gastao Gracie. Maeda taught Gracie's son, Carlos, the art of Jiu-Jitsu and judo.

Carlos, who was a renowned boxer, trained with Maeda for a year and refined the technique into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

He tested and modified the system, fought many matches and, although just 68kg, defeated all his opponents to become a Brazilian legend.

Carlos had 21 children and his younger brother, Helio, had seven sons, thus creating a dynasty of Gracie fighters and instructors who have spread the Gracie style of fighting that dominates the world of "no rules" contests today.

Jiu-Jitsu was put on the map when the first Ultimate fighting championship took place in 1993 in Denver, USA - Royce Gracie (Helio's son) fought and defeated wrestler Ken Shamrock.

Rickson, Royce's elder brother, is currently regarded as the best no-holds-barred fighter in the world being undefeated in over 400 bouts.

Luiz Claudio, current black belt world jiu-jitsu champion, trained under Rickson Gracie and decided to introduce the sport to various countries. He has academies in Rio de Janeiro, London, USA, and South Africa.

In KwaZulu-Natal, Micah Atkinson saw how effective and popular the sport was overseas and decided to switch from karate to jiu-jitsu.

The 30-year-old chiropractor and South African No Rules champion has been involved in martial arts since the age of six.

He moved from karate to Shun Wutang Kung Fu until 1994, representing SA at a competition in San Francisco that year.

After reaching his third dan black belt in Chinese Kung Fu, Atkinson switched to Jiu-Jitsu and travelled with his brother, Ivan Brittain, to London, where he received his blue belt from Royce Gracie.

He competed in various competitions, including the Rio de Janeiro championships, and scooped two silver medals consecutively at the 2000 and 2001 European Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champs.

The Durban Institute of Technology clinician often travels to Brazil to further his understanding and knowledge of the sport, and is currently a purple belt under Luiz Claudio.

He lives with his girlfriend, Penny Thomas, (first female in SA to attain her blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) and has a private clinic in Argyle Road.

The brothers opened the Novagen Jiu-Jitsu Academies on the Bluff and at Game City.

Atkinson said he keeps his working hours to a minimum to allow him to focus on training and running his academies in Durban.

As the highest ranked Brazil-ian Jiu-Jitsu fighter in SA, Atkinson has more than 50 students in Durban, including females.

Novagen members holding blue belts include Ivan Brittain, Abdul Hassan, Mark Arm-bruster, Penny Thomas and Atkinson.

Atkinson and Hassan have been training together since they were 12-year-olds.

Hassan, undefeated no rules fighter in the lightweight division, also switched from kung fu to jiu-jitsu because of its growing international popularity.

These fighters will represent South Africa at the World Brazil-ian Jiu-Jitsu champs in Rio, between July 24 and 27.

On Sunday, there will be 11 No Rules fights at the Jewish Club, North Beach from 6pm.

Twenty-two men will battle it out in a fight where just about anything goes - kicks, knees, punches, elbows, slaps, head butts, arm bars, chokes, shoulder and leg locks.

However, not allowed are: eye-gouging, fish-hooking, biting, hair-pulling, head butts, groin strikes, elbows on the back of the head, small joint manipulation and strikes to the spine.

Fights consist of three rounds of five minutes each. The fight is declared over if a corner throws in the towel, the referee stops the fight or if a fighter taps out.

If they fight the full three rounds, a panel of judges will decide the winner.

There have been several no rules contests in SA, but the bigger fights usually take place in Johannesburg. Local fighters are hoping to make it a regular feature on Durban's calendar.