On 26 November Kazan’s Ak Bars Wrestling Palace will get dressed up for a new-format sports show – Phygital Games. Participants’ lineup is released. Tickets are available on the Games of Future website.
Phygital trend has now come to fighting merging a video game and classical sport. Such a format implies that now the fighter will have to defeat their opponents first in a virtual Mortal Kombat bout and then come out to the real octagon. Spectators will get very involved, as the fighters can gain additional points in case of a win in the vote for the best fighter, finish, and creativity.
Arrangements are in full swing. Fighters are training, checking out rivals’ strengths and weaknesses, and pick the characters to play for in Mortal Kombat. Organisers are doing their best to immerse into the phygital universe: spectacular show with light and graphic effects, interactives with augmented reality, cosplays, and a lot more.
Participants’ line-up
Just a gentle reminder, it is a team tournament with two athletes on each team. 12 participants from four countries have registered for the Phygital Games: Russia, Belarus, Iran, and Kazakhstan.
Three Russian teams:
Three duets will be representing Russia. BRAVE HEART experienced tandem featuring the champion in kickboxing of the Southern Federal District Roman Black Lion Avdal and master of sport in combat sambo and grappling Valery Brave Heart Gritsutin. MK TEAM has two brothers Anzor Abjamov and Khabib Magomedov from Dagestan doing freestyle wrestling, boxing, grappling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, that’s why new trials don’t scare the fighters. Rim Khaziakhmetov and Fedor Russky Medved Alekseev from Kazan made it together in the ALLIANCE team. The former is the master of sport in combat sambo, while the latter is the EURASIAN R.G.S.A jiu-jitsu champion.
Fighters from Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Iran
Serikbay Khodzhabaev and Alibek Ali Qozha Kusbayev from the CASPIYAN MEGALADONS team represent Kazakhstan. Alibek believes their team is modest but in the octagon they will definitely not take a back seat. Serikbay is an international master of sport in zhekpe-zhek, the champion of Kazakhstan and a two-time champion of Asia in this discipline as well as a seven-time MMA champion of Kazakhstan. As for Alibek, he is a tough guy who, according to him, at a certain point in his life wanted to get away from urban combats and try himself on the professional stage.
Artem Swan Lebedev and Valery Dashkevich perform for the top MMA Academy of Belarus and therefore don’t doubt their strength. Artem used to be a machine operator at the factory but went for a sports career with a dream of becoming a coach and raising a champion. Valery has always been into bouts feeling they are his path, and made it to MMA. The athlete has an impressive track record of participating in international mixed martial arts tournaments.
Another foreign team is from Iran. The duet’s corner Erfan is a very colorful man as like as two peas with the God of War main character Kratos. Two-time MMA champion of Iran Matin Matdog MMA Safari and Iranian wrestling champion Mohammadreza Moghaddasi, who has also been wrestling since childhood, star in the team.
Celebrity guest
Russian MMA fighter Petr Yan – 29-year-old former UFC lightweight champion – will be the honorary guest at the phygital fighting tournament in Kazan. In total, he boasts 16 victories and four defeats in mixed martial arts. During the digital tournament, Ak Bars Wrestling Palace will also be hosting an autograph session with the eminent athlete.
Ticketing programme
Buy the tickets for phygital fighting on the Games of Future website.