“DAMBE! WARRIORS! DAMBE! WARRIORS” chants echoed into the Abuja night throughout SuperFight 03 at the Velodrome on September 15th.
Nigeria’s own traditional martial arts and cultural heritage came alive with six fighters winning promotion into the Dambe Warriors League for the next season, while three other warriors were crowned champions of Season 03.
YAR MAGE: Back To Back Champion
In arguably one of the most exciting fights of the evening, the two Lightweight championship contenders, MAGE and NASSAWAWA, battled furiously and patriotically. But, in the end, YAR MAGE became the winner and rightfully earned the title of Champion for the second season in a row.
Elsewhere, promotion-seeking KADDARA and DAGE fought bravely to earn their place among the professional warriors in Season 04 of the Dambe Warriors League. Each fighter won by way of a decision after the conclusion of their bouts.
SuperFight 03: KANSILA’s Knockout and SHAABAN’s Victory In The Middleweights
SHAABAN and DOGON MESSI had the crowd on their feet with a high-energy and physical bout. Yet after the dust settled, SHAABAN was left standing with his fists raised in victory while the fans cheered loudly for the great Season 03 Champion.
Among the Middleweights, BIYAR and KANSILA earned their promotion into Season 04 over their opponents KAWOJI and EBOLA, respectively. KANSILA treated the millions watching across the globe to a brutal knockout of his opponent in the FIRST round, which sent the packed house into a frenzy. In the division’s championship bout,
A Sellout Crown For Nigeria’s Traditional Martial Arts
The sellout crowd included representatives from the Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy and the Federal Ministry of Tourism which have each formally endorsed Dambe Warriors.
As Chidi Aninya, co-founder of Dambe Warriors commented after the event, “My partners and I started this League with a dream in mind: to unite Nigeria around our traditions, arts, and culture. We want to improve the lives of Nigerians in many communities, driving tourism and commerce, and we can accomplish that through Dambe Warriors. Plus, it’s the most exciting combat sport in the world! We could not be prouder of SuperFight 03, an event that honored this 1,000-year-old heritage. Everyone did Nigeria proud tonight – from the organizers, to the warriors, to the fans.”
SuperFight 03: YANSANDA Too Strong For ALI KANIN BELLO
In the final fight of the evening, viral sensation ALI KANIN BELLO (“AKB”) battled #1 ranked YANSANDA for the title of biggest Dambe Warrior on the planet.
Ultimately, YANSANDA proved too strong for his opponent and earned his victory and Heavyweight Championship title. The fans were restrained by security as the night ended with national pride and excitement for the future.
The Titans of the Heavyweight division did not disappoint the nearly 7,000 spectators in attendance. With two Europeans making the trip to try and penetrate the Dambe ecosystem which Nigerians dominated for centuries,
50-50 In Exhibition
Russian warrior CHERNYSH lost in a nailbiter to native Nigerian MOTA on points in a fight that needed extra time, much to the delight of the crowd. Meanwhile, the Polish “WHITE MAMBA” MATEUSZ narrowly defeated familiar face DAN YELLOW in an exhibition that put everyone on the edge of their seats. The match turned when the WHITE MAMBA delivered a devastating knee to DAN YELLOW, which he never fully recovered.
Furthermore, SuperFight 03 was a collaborative effort that brought traditional Nigerian art and culture to millions within Nigeria’s borders and across the globe through broadcasts on SuperSport, Trust TV, Startimes, AIT, YouTube, and Facebook.
In addition to the formal endorsement by the Ministries in attendance at the event, the Dambe Warriors League enjoys incredible community support via sponsorships and partnerships that spread far and wide. Among those community leaders who worked with Dambe Warriors on SuperFight 03 are MTN, Bet9ja, Hero Hunter Power Bikes, Infinite Energy Drinks, Hypo, Power Oil, Pop Cola, AIICO, and Infinix Mobile. Vaseline, New Crystal Communications, Alpha and Jam, Cloud9, and Concept Fridays.
Combat sports fans, Nigerians across the diaspora, and fight fans across the world can catch up on all the Dambe Warriors action for free on www.dambewarriors.com, the company’s YouTube channel, or Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X accounts.
