Fitness: Watching the Ultimate Knockout Challenge (UKC) and what I've learned

Back in May 2018, me and my dad went to Paranaque to watch young fighters from all over the nation compete in amateur matches. I didn't know anyone competing at the event personally. I just wanted to spectate to see what the fighters have to offer. After all has been done, I can finally compose my thoughts on the event I just witnessed. In summary, it was kind of epic.

This annual event, known as the Ultimate Knockout Challenge (UKC), is organized by Elorde Gym. It's at a level that's applicable to students and regulars of combat sports a bit below what would be internationally considered amateur boxing. The skill levels that I saw were those of novice practitioners. They aren't brawling away so blindly, but they also aren't throwing lightning-fast jabs.

If you're a young aspiring combatant, you might want to spectate one of these first to have a feel of what exactly it is you're getting into while you work your way up the ranks.

The fighting is as real as it can get; I saw a fighter get knocked down, and I saw another one got his nose bleeding after the fight. So anyone that joins the UKC deserves respect, imo. The rules of the bouts follow standard Amateur boxing rules: 3 rounds that are 2mins long each, with 30 seconds rests in between. You can find more of the rules here.

It was definitely an eye-opening experience for me. The fee to spectate the event is just around 200Php. I'd recommend fight fans to watch it if they don't have the means to attend any other fighting events. I think "watching a fight in person" should be in everyone's bucket list of life.

What do you think of the UKC, are you content to just watching from the sidelines or you've thought about competing in it one day? Let me know so I can buy a ticket and watch your big debut :)