--- title: Watch Mixed Martial Arts Fighters Compete in China | TIME description: Chinese mixed martial arts fighters are beating their way out of poverty canonical: https://time.com/video/dpt09KrP/ og:title: Watch Mixed Martial Arts Fighters Compete in China og:description: Chinese mixed martial arts fighters are beating their way out of poverty og:url: https://time.com/video/dpt09KrP/ og:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/dpt09KrP/poster.jpg?width=720 og:type: video.other twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Watch Mixed Martial Arts Fighters Compete in China twitter:description: Chinese mixed martial arts fighters are beating their way out of poverty twitter:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/dpt09KrP/poster.jpg?width=720 --- # Watch Mixed Martial Arts Fighters Compete in China > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ## Video: Watch Mixed Martial Arts Fighters Compete in China [Watch (HLS stream): Watch Mixed Martial Arts Fighters Compete in China](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/dpt09KrP.m3u8) (2:24)  _Published 2014-08-23. Chinese mixed martial arts fighters are beating their way out of poverty_ --- Jul 27, 2023 5:09 PM UTC --- ## More From This Series [All Videos](https://time.com/video/) [China's Beloved Master of Martial Arts Fiction Louis Cha Has Died Aged 94](/video/m5cu10Mt/) ### China's Beloved Master of Martial Arts Fiction Louis Cha Has Died Aged 94 [Bartitsu: The Lost Martial Art of Sherlock Holmes](/video/SnAAMbeJ/) ### Bartitsu: The Lost Martial Art of Sherlock Holmes [In the Octagon, Off the Streets: A Mixed-Martial-Arts Champ Builds Community](/video/037mEnbp/) ### In the Octagon, Off the Streets: A Mixed-Martial-Arts Champ Builds Community --- ## Transcript These are some of China's top Mixed Martial Arts fighters in a grueling training session. The sport, otherwise known as MMA, was unheard of in China just a decade ago. [ UNKNOWN ]. I didn't know MMA existed before, when I started fighting in the competition in 2006. I thought it was great fun because there were almost no restrictions. Unlike professional fighters in the US or elsewhere making 6 figure salaries, these men get by in a Beijing slum. Nearly all fighters come from farming backgrounds. And they're using the sport to try to lift themselves out of rural poverty. The club provides them with basic meals, and this communal lifestyle. Although some have won competitions abroad, the fighters are unrecognized in the streets they call home. All champions once had to go through this, some of them may have had it tougher than us. We are thankful we have food to eat. I think we are lucky. But for the victors the future looks brighter. A host of local promoters have recently emerged to put on events across China. Looking to cash in on a potentially huge market. Several hundred kilometers away in [ UNKNOWN ] thousands of fans pack a stadium to cheer on local MMA hero [ UNKNOWN ] Tonight there's a prize of 10 thousand US dollars for the most outstanding performance. From cornfields to the starlight, MMA has saved Yao from a life of low paid work. He's relaxed ahead of the nights match up against a Mongolian rival. Are you ready? FIGHT An attempt at a knock out fails as his opponent slides free. [ CHEERING ] [ CHEERING ] But he tries his signiture choke hold next and in just 53 seconds claims victory. [ BELL AND CHEERING ] He plays with the crowd saying he'll win more slowly next time. After all, for the sport to make money, the fights must keep people coming back for more [ ANNOUNCER ]. These are some of China's top mixed martial arts fighters in a grueling training session. The sport, otherwise known as MMA, was unheard of in China just a decade ago. [ FOREIGN ]. I didn't know MMA existed before. When I started fighting in the competition in 2006, I thought it was great fun. Because there were almost no restrictions. Unlike professional fighters in the U. S. or elsewhere, making six figure salaries, these men get by in a Beijing slum. Nearly all fighters come from farming backgrounds. And they're using the sport to try and lift themselves out of rural poverty. The club provides them with basic meals and this communal lifestyle. Although some have won competitions abroad, the fighters are unrecognized in the streets they call home. All champions once had to go through this. Some of them may have had it tougher than us. We're thankful we have food to eat. I think we're lucky. But for the victors, the future looks brighter. A host of local promoters have recently emerged to put on events across China.- looking to cash in on a potentially huge market. Several hundred kilometers away in Joko, thousands of fans pack a stadium to cheer on local MMA hero, Yao Pung Gang. Tonight, there's a prize of $ 10, 000, for the most outstanding performance. From cornfields to the starlight in the [ INAUDIBLE ] from the life of lowpaid work. He's relaxed ahead of the night's matchup against a Mongolian rival. An attempt of a knock out fails as his opponent slides free. But he tries his signature chokehold next. And in just 53 seconds, claims victory. He plays with the crowd, saying he'll win more slowly next time. After all, for the sport to make money, the fights must keep people coming back for more. ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Watch Mixed Martial Arts Fighters Compete in China","description":"Chinese mixed martial arts fighters are beating their way out of poverty","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/dpt09KrP/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-08-23T16:21:45.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/dpt09KrP.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/video/dpt09KrP/","duration":"PT2M24S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/video/dpt09KrP/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}} ```