A new esports event featuring fighting game players and teams owned by mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters is coming to London.
eFighting League (eFL) will be hosting eFL One on December 29th at the Troxy London.
The eFL said in a press release it has ‘some of the world’s most renowned’ MMA fighters and other UK and internationally-recognised celebrities who own and operate their own esports teams.
It will feature Street Fighter, Tekken and other fighting games.
The feature event will be a head-to-head battle between MMA fighters Mark “Super Samoan” Hunt (pictured above, top ten world heavyweight fighter) and Ben “10” Nguyen (top 10 world flyweight fighter).
Mark Hunt said: “I am so excited to be part of the eFL, showing the younger
generation a healthy digital and physical life, playing fair and winning without cheating.”
Ben Nguyen added: “As a kid, Ryu from Street Fighter inspired me to get in to martial arts,
and now gaming with the eFL I get to be both an esports and sports professional.”
“As a kid, Ryu from Street Fighter inspired me to get in to martial arts,
and now gaming with the eFL I get to be both an esports and sports professional.”
Ben Nguyen
The launch will include an afternoon and an evening event for children and adults, and there will be photo opportunities with the fighters, as well as other activities.
eFL One will also include live performances from grime artists.
From the press materials for this event, it looks as if the eFL is testing the waters with its event and is hoping for some kind of crossover between MMA and esports.
Organisers have also confirmed events for the US, Thailand and Russia in 2019.
Umesh “aperezane” Perera, eFL owner, commented: “Support for the eFL has been overwhelming, we are inclusive not exclusive, and even ticket prices are low. Gaming transcends colour and creed, uniting us all.”
“We use esports as a gateway to light up the imagination of young minds to coding, game theory, graphics and media.”
There’s more info over at eFightingleague.com
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
