TWO local martial arts fighters made a powerful impact on spectators at the Rumble in Rush 3 tournament in Dublin recently. The relatively new sport features bouts between fighters from a variety of martial arts backgrounds. The athletes square off in an octagonal shaped ring enclosed in a wire mesh cage. Contests only end via knock out, submission, or judges’ decision.
Vinny DiRuscio and Conor Duffy entered the mixed martial arts full contact cage fighting tournament that included semi pro fighters from all over the world. Both fighters, who were trained by Bernard Doyle at the Dragons Lair gym, Hebron Road, were victorious after defeating their opponents in the first round through submissions.
Vinny, who is better known as The Assassin DiRuscio, is well known in Kilkenny as a kickboxing champ. He is a professional European champion kickboxer who has an endless list of achievements.
Entering the cage fighting tournament was a natural progression for the fighters as mixed martial arts is currently the fastest growing spectator sport in the world. The two Kilkenny men proved that their kickboxing skills, extensive training, and sheer power are forces to be reckoned with in the world of MMA.
In America, MMA has overtaken both professional wrestling and boxing as the dominant source of pay-per-view television revenue and was popularised by the Ultimate Fighting Championships.
You can expect to hear a lot more of this sport in Kilkenny as many young martial arts fighters have caught on to the craze and hundreds have signed up for training courses in a wide range of martial arts forms at gyms and clubs around the county including the newly opened Dragons Lair gym and dojos.
