Crowds from different nations were flocking the Olympic State Sports Centre to see the much hyped event – Immortality. Like ants the crowd scurried into the large dome and found their seats, preparing for the night ahead…
There was a hollywood feel about the place, with the floor layout setup like a scene from a movie. A catwalk like walkway for the fighters guarded by bright mechanical columns, thou instead of models… warriors walked the runway. And the floor, well there was enough space to comfortable walk around and have a quiet conversation with friends.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, please take your seats” the announcer blurted as he took up the spotlight on centre ring. It was about time, as the crowd was getting restless and the tension in the air thickened to an obvious level. “We are about to call out our first fight, so please take your seats”, that sentence was followed by an incredible roar of applause from the crowd, all that bottled up hype was released like a geyser from one of Hawaii’s volcanoes.
After that, it was like a cosmic rush. Fight after fight, the crowd were booing, cheering and at times watching quietly in anticipation for the fighter’s next deadly blows. BAM, CRACK, AAI-YAH were words echoed throughout the stadium. At the end of each fight, there was only one sentence that can be heard from both corners… ‘Good Job’.
The time drew near, people looked at the fight schedule and were assured that the main event was going to be announced next. After what they witnessed and the level of entertainment the previous fights provided, how possibly are they thinking the main event will top it off? That question was soon short lived with Steve Mckinnon and his opponent from Croatia putting up a storm of high end kickboxing entertainment. Australia vs Croatia, that is what people wanted to see, and that is what they got in a form of kickboxing war. Kick, Punch, Block, Grapple, you can almost feel all the blows from where you were sitting, what a main event it was….!
All in all, Immortality was a huge SUCCESS. As the centre ring turned from white to a light grey with splashes of red towards the end of the night, so too did the crowd turn from humble spectators, to raving kickboxing fans.
Thanks to all those that made the night possible, special thanks to Stuart, his wife Clare, Reinhard and the boys from Full Force, the sponsors, media and all those that lent their services to make this event possible and memorable. Special thanks to those that fought and to those that helped train the fighters, your hard work and training will not be overlooked. May it provide some sort of guideline to where you can improve your fighting skills and techniques. Congratulations to those that won a trophy in the process.
Please look out for Immortality II, tickets will be selling early next year…
