Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) in Saint Lucia entered a new era with the hosting of the Battleground Exhibition Classic at the Beausejour Indoor Facility on Sunday afternoon, October 19. The event served as a precursor to the upcoming Saint Lucia Invitational Combat Sports Festival, slated for January 2026, and offered the public a chance to witness fighters display their skills. A decent crowd was in attendance, despite the inclement weather and the impending tropical wave.
Winners of the exhibition bouts
Preliminaries
- Starr-Jay Aimable
- Habakkuk Nestor
- Marvyn “Rome” Ernest
Main Events
- Justice Joseph
- Lilli Leclere
In an exclusive interview, St. Lucia Times caught up with Macorliff Duvigneau, president of the Saint Lucia Mixed Martial Arts Federation (SLMMF), who shared how this event could serve as a springboard for the sport’s future development on the island.
“It was our introduction to Saint Lucia,” he said in a post-event conversation. “The event was a great success and we are looking forward to better times. It gave us a chance to show off, showcase our athletes and I think we did a very good job and they did an extremely good job.”
Duvigneau believes the sport provides a valuable opportunity for young people to engage in positive, disciplined activities, and he recognises his role in helping to make that a reality.
“I’ve said it before that I believe from a discipline point of view for our youths and this is going to be one of the channels. I’m pleased to be part of that channeling. This is the beginning of it. But there is a disciplined side to it all.”
St. Lucia Times also interviewed two of the talented MMA fighters who participated in the event. Starr-Jay Aimable and Stephen Steele faced off in the octagon for what was their first fight of this scale. Both athletes expressed gratitude for the opportunity.
“It was my first fight. I thought it was good, it was competitive. Of course I would have loved to win, but I did not. It just gives me motivation to train harder in the future so I could hopefully win my next one,” said Steele. “I’m new to fighting. I’ve only been training for about one month now for maybe three or four weeks so to come and compete and have a competitive fight was a good experience and I’m looking forward to the future.”
“I was trying to put on a show,” noted Aimable. “This is the first MMA fight we’ve had in Saint Lucia. Normally, the emphasis is placed on boxing and stuff. So it’s good seeing the alternative sports getting their try,” he added.
Regional and local administrators have noted that the future of the sport in Saint Lucia is bright. If that proves true, then the Battleground Exhibition Classic is merely a foretaste of major developments to come.
