Amateur MMA fights are coming to the Coliseum

Mixed martial arts might not be an Olympic sport, but beginning in July local fight promoter Roy Englebrecht is bringing an event to a venue synonymous with the Games.

By staging a 3,000-person-capacity venue around the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum peristyle, Englebrecht is bringing the amateur Gladiator 2017 MMA Championship Series to a site of the 1932 and 1984 Summer Games.

Tickets go on sale Friday for the tournament, which will feature semifinal competition over seven weight classes July 8 and Aug. 5, with the championship rounds Sept. 23 and Oct. 21 beneath the Olympic cauldron.

“Amateurs are hungry to make a name for themselves, and to showcase their up-and-coming skills in the Coliseum, a place that has seen numerous national championships,” Englebrecht said.

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