Filipino MMA fighter ready for more Belt Wrestling lessons

Everyone has to start somewhere, and for Christof Jr Hofmann it all began in front of a television set.

The Filipino is participating in Belt Wrestling at the Ashgabat 2015 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, but back home he is a mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter.

He only started Belt Wrestling two months ago by watching videos of matches and trying to copy the moves on the mat using Judo belts.

“The Philippines wanted us to be here, to learn this art,” said the 27-year-old. “This is the first time that Belt Wrestling is part of the AIMAG, so we really wanted to compete.”

The Swiss-born fighter refuses to give up despite 5-0 defeats in the Freestyle and Classic Style -90kg events earlier this week.
On Friday 22 September he goes again in the Alysh Free category and his desire to learn remains undimmed.

“So far the Ashgabat Games are kind of a school experience for me. I think I was taught well and I am ready for the challenge of Alysh,” he said.

Twelve gold medals will be up for grabs in Alysh Free in the following weight classes: -60kg, -70kg, -80kg, -90kg, -100kg, and +100kg for men; and -55kg, -60kg, -65kg, -70kg, -75kg, +75kg for women. The event is likely to be dominated by Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.