By Sainabou Sambou
Tribe Combat Sports brings the first- ever professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event to The Gambia, with the aim to showcase international talent and celebrate African martial arts culture.
Tribe Combat Sports is a pioneering organisation based in Norway and The Gambia, dedicated to bringing world class MMA events to The Gambia and showcasing the immense talent of African fighters. With a commitment to excellence and cultural celebration, Tribe Combat Sports is set to become a leading force in the global MMA landscape. Tribe aims to revolutionise the MMA scene by providing a platform for both local and international fighters to compete at the highest level. With a unique blend of cultural celebration and world-class athleticism, the event promises an unforgettable experience for fans and participants alike.
William Zalo, CEO of Tribe Combat Sport, explained his passion for MMA as a former professional fighter. Explaining how the idea came about, Zalot said he had discussed with his co-founder, Saul Sulayman Sowe, who is a Gambian, how to introduce MMA to African countries in order to give opportunity to the youths. “We did search for places in Africa, talked to the federation in Ivory Coast, and Senegal then we thought maybe Gambia is better place to have MMA because it has a huge fighting culture”.
Mr. Zalo added that the MMA sport will give Gambian youths the needed recognition internationally and will also give them the opportunity to learn something new in MMA. He said they have plans to build gyms and other infrastructure whereby trainers will come from Europe and other parts of the world to The Gambia and train youths on MMA sport.
The CEO indicated that this would be the first time this kind of sport will be introduced in The Gambia, adding that male fighters are the only ones taking part in the competition but that in the future women will also take part in the sport competition.
“Our plan is to have a second event in December and our vision is to have lot of youths both male and female take part in the MMA sport. We have Rambo who is a local wrestler. This will help Gambians know this sport and to make it the most popular sports in The Gambia,” he said.
Sana Sonko, alias Rambo, a Gambian who is a participant in MMA, expressed pride for representing The Gambia in the MMA sport competition, noting that he has passion for wrestling. “This is not my first time of representing Gambia in a competition; I have been representing Gambia since I was a young boy and I have participated in ECOWAS wrestling competitions and I won,” he said.
Sonko said Tribe Combat Sports has come to The Gambia to support youth who have passion for sport. He observed that many Gambians like the martial arts and need support from sports administrators.
Saul Sulayman Sowe, a Gambian and co-founder of Tribe Combat Sports, affirmed that he told the CEO of Tribe Combat Sport to bring this kind of sport to The Gambia because Gambia has a rich culture and history of wrestling and that it will give chance to the youth who have passion for sport.
“This sport could have gone to other African countries but when I discussed with my partners to bring the sport in The Gambia and they agree because this will give opportunity to the youths,” he said.
