21 Oct
The sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and poker are similar in that they both require high amounts of training, willpower and patience for one to be at the top of their games. They are also quite obviously different in that MMA is one of the most physically extreme sports in the world, while poker has to be one of the most mentally extreme.
Those similarities and differences are set to be seen first-hand by two poker professionals who have agreed to fight each other in an MMA bout. JC Alvarado (left) and Olivier Busquet agreed to the fight last weekend, and in true poker fashion, both players have put down large sums of money on the upcoming duel.
Alvarado has bet US$150,000 on himself to win the fight, even though at 165 pounds, he will actually he the smaller man come fight day. Busquet (right), on the other hand, has put forward a US$120,000 bet for him to win the match. He will weigh in substantially heavier than his opponent at 187.5 pounds.
It’s believed that negotiations for the fight lasted several weeks after Busquet put the idea out into the poker community. Both players are MMA fans and are both believed to have been training in aspects of the sport for some time, which is set to add a bit more intrigue to the bout.
At the moment it is currently unclear where or when the fight will take place. It won’t be surprising if both Busquet and Alvarado take a month or two to get ready for the grueling demands of an MMA fight.
The fight may get some interest from mid and lower-tier MMA organisations, given the fame that both players enjoy within the poker community. Organisations based in the US state of Nevada may particular be interested in hosting the Busquet vs. Alvarardo match up as the state is widely known as the centre of poker and gaming in the US.
Whoever wins the fight also stands to be one of the highest paid debutants in MMA history, as few other fighters (Brock Lesnar and James ‘Lights Out’ Toney being two of them) have earned six figures in their first MMA fight. However, that distinction may not be made official as it is currently not known whether or not the bout will be sanctioned.
