Singapore is no stranger to large organizations, particularly with the meteoric rise of rival promotions ONE Fighting Championship and REBEL Fighting Championship.

But on October 5th, another outfit is set to enter the fray.

IADF hits Singapore shores; UFC vet Will Chope, Jean-Claude Van Damme feature

The International Association Diamond Fight (IADF), or more commonly referred to as simply ‘Diamond Fight’, hits the shores of Sentosa, Singapore early next month.

Headed by Dmitry Karpov, Diamond Fight first gained widespread attention for its chain of Muay Thai events in Pattaya, Thailand. In due course, however, a change in concept led to a renewed focus on MMA and K-1, paving the way for Karpov to take his brand on an international stage.

Since 2013, Diamond Fight has collectively showcased events in Russia, Thailand and most recently even Kazakhstan, delighting the masses situated in the city of Almaty. Co-headlining that running order was none other than former UFC title challenger, Jeff Monson.

Officials have now turned their attention to the Asian market, with their next pit-stop set for Singapore. Karpov confirmed that Malaysia might be a possibility before the turn of the year too, and fans might be itching at the prospect of seeing some ‘big names’ on board.

“MMA is good for development in Singapore,” Karpov said, in a press conference held on Tuesday afternoon. “We had a couple of events in Thailand before, but Thailand is only good for Muay Thai. MMA is now very popular around the world and Singapore is a good country for development; a good country for business.”

“We’re looking to have the same sort of event in Malaysia, probably on December 20. We have plans to have fights on a weekly basis as well and we’re interested in inviting big names from the UFC, Bellator and Russia. We’re currently trying to negotiate with Tim Sylvia and Brett Rogers but we can’t give anything away right now.”

Entitled ‘Diamond Fight – Singapore vs. World’, the event takes place at the Resorts World Convention Centre and plays host to nine fights, of which seven will feature pro Mixed Martial Arts tussles.

The spotlight will undoubtedly be on longtime Asian MMA veteran Will Chope (20-7) as he makes his third appearance following his highly publicized release from the UFC. He’ll contest Nova Uniao’s Rodolfo Marques (16-4-1), while his team-mate, a highly touted prospect in Emilio Urrutia (3-0), battles Super Fight League staple, Pushpendar Singh (1-3).

The loudest adulation of the night might just go to local hero Syafiq Samad (3-1) though, as he locks horns with Jaypee Espinosa (0-0) in the main event for his first crack at a major title – the 155-lbs WDFA Championship.

And following an unsuccessful stint in the Super Fight League, feared striker Lena Ovchynnikova (9-3) makes her return to Asia in a co-main event 120-lbs title clash against Mongolia’s Madagmaa.

But, an argument could be made that all of this could be nothing compared to what awaits fans in attendance on October 5th. To top it all off, Hollywood superstar and martial arts extraordinaire, Jean-Claude Van Damme, is set to be a guest of honor at the event.

“Jean-Claude Van Damme is a big sportsman. He’s experienced in a lot of martial arts like Karate and Kung Fu,” Karpov added. “I think he’ll be a good way to attract people who are not yet fans of MMA or the fights, and because of his name they’ll be interested to come.”

The fighters involved were picked from a myriad of countries, most notably Singapore, Malaysia, Brazil, Russia, Ukraine, and Mongolia among others.

All the fights will be held in a traditional ring and Chope, for one, is relishing that experience.

“In Asia, MMA used to start out in a ring and it was more popular,” the 24-year-old said. “But over the years now, with UFC, the cage is more popular now, and Diamond Fight is going back to the ring. So to fight MMA in a ring will see a lot more action, a lot more stand-ups and it’ll definitely be more exciting.”

Although not confirmed, Diamond Fight – Singapore vs. World is expected to stream on the GFL.tv network and broadcasted on Eurosport.

Be sure to keep it locked to MMASucka.com for the full fight card and exclusives leading up to the event.

Follow Thinesh on Twitter (@ThineshJohnMMA), and keep up with the latest MMA news from MMASucka via Twitter (@MMASucka) and Facebook