MMA Comes To Columbus

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COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI Sports) – Takedowns, lots of punching and kicking – MMA, or mixed martial arts, came to Columbus Saturday night at the Trotter Convention Center.

The flare of staged wrestling meets the ferocity of street fighting in MMA, and it’s vicious. It’s also one of the fastest-growing sports in the U.S.

Robert Fretenborough has over 100 fights under his belt. The 23-year-old says MMA is catching on across the country.

“One day it’ll be something like the X-Games. I think it’ll be that popular. Towns in the middle of nowhere have MMA gyms,” Fretenborough said.

300-plus people were attendance to watch the full-contact combat sport. And while it’s like other forms of fighting, there’s not much you can’t do in MMA.

“You can’t eye gouge, you can’t groin shot, you cannot knee or kick someone in the head when they’re down,” Fretenborough said.