Zeus FC, a domestic mixed martial arts (MMA) group, will take on a new challenge. Taking a step further from the existing MMA-centered competition operation, the official launch of the Brazilian Jujitsu (BJJ) professional competition and declared the expansion of the fighting sports area.
Zeus FC has established itself as an organization that provides a field of hands-on experience for rookies and promising MMA players. Zeus FC, which has consistently made its name known to domestic martial arts fans through regular competitions and stable operation, plans to leap to a platform that encompasses not only mixed martial arts but also grappling events through the launch of the BJJ professional league.
Brasilian Jujitsu is a grappling martial art centered on arthres and choke, and skill and positional understanding are more important than strength. In particular, as it has become an essential element in MMA, the number of training population and competitions is steadily increasing in Korea, but the professional stage is still limited. In this situation, Zeus FC’s launch of the BJJ Professional Competition is significant in that it provides new opportunities for jiu-jitsu players.
사진 확대 Zeus FC BJJ logo. Photo =ZEUS FC
Zeus FC Honorary Chairman Jeon Yong-jae said, “MMA and jiu-jitsu are inseparable, and grappling skills are a key element in modern fighting. “I wanted to prove my skills on the official professional stage and create a foothold for Jiu-Jitsu players to advance to a wider career,” he said.
The Zeus FC BJJ Professional Competition, which will be presented this time, aims at a differentiated operation from general amateur competitions. Both player safety and game completion were considered in weight classification, game time, and rule setting, and it is also focusing on creating a game flow that is easy for spectators and viewers to understand. Through this, the plan is to develop the jiu-jitsu game into more popular sports content.
Zeus FC is also expecting exchanges and growth synergy between players by running both the MMA and BJJ competitions. There is also a high possibility that players who have experienced the professional jiu-jitsu stage will advance to MMA in the future, or that MMA players will challenge the BJJ competition to strengthen their grappling capabilities.
Korean martial arts officials are also paying attention to the move. This is because if the professional league of jiu-jitsu is established in earnest in the domestic fighting sports market, which used to be centered on MMA, the overall status of the grappling event can be raised to the next level.
Zeus FC’s launch of the BJJ professional competition is evaluated as a new attempt to expand the domestic fighting sports ecosystem beyond simple sports expansion. As a complex fighting platform that encompasses MMA and Jiu-Jitsu, attention is being paid to how Zeus FC will grow and what changes this new stage will bring to domestic Jiu-Jitsu athletes.
[Kang Daeho, MK Sports Reporter]