Van Zyl out to teach some lessons in art of fighting in the hexagon

ANDREW VAN ZYL is something out of a Hollywood movie.

If I could zoom in on a motion picture, it would be Gavin O’Connor’s 2011 hit, Warrior, featuring Joel Edgerton and Tom Hardy.

That film has various dynamics to it, but one of the main elements sees Mr Conlon (Edgerton), a teacher, enter a Mixed Martial Arts competition to help him secure his family and home.

The word soon gets out to his colleagues and students, much to their delight.

Now Andrew (and that is Mr Van Zyl to you school kids out there) might not have anything in common with Mr Conlon aside from the awesome reality that he is that teacher by day and Warrior “by night”.

The EFC heavyweight champion educates his Parktown Boys’ High pupils through Life Orientation and History and has also been the first team rugby coach for the last 10 years.

With MMA still in its youth stages in South Africa, Van Zyl plays a big role in getting the word out there and promoting the sport for what it stands for: Discipline, hard work, dedication and passion.

Being a EFC star has also helped him engage his students on a deeper level.

“Being involved in MMA allows me to be a working model for the boys, they are very attuned to role models who walk the talk. It is something they can respect. I always want to be someone boys can respect,” says Van Zyl who says that teaching found him instead of the other way round.

Come this weekend, class will definitely be in session when Andrew “One Gear” Van Zyl hits the hexagon against USA’s Jared “The Mountain” Vanderaa at EFC 66 in Time Square, Pretoria.

Judging by Van Zyl’s success rate, Vanderaa had better have done his homework if he wants to have any chance of outwitting this teacher.

Van Zyl boasts an impressive record of 18 wins and three losses, his last defeat coming against Cyril Asker at EFC 44.

And the heavyweight champion has no intention of handing over his belt easily in the five-round championship bout tomorrow.

“I have covered all Jared’s fights on the net, he is well versed and very tough, he basically is very similar to me,” says the man who has an incredibly strong jaw, a heavy punch and impressive grappling ability.

Van Zyl, a 1.89m champion with a 199cm reach, fights out of the BJMMA gym in Randpark Ridge, Johannesburg, under the watchful eye of Bobby Karagiannidis.

He admits that his toughest fight to date was with Elvis Moyo at EFC 54.

It was one of the greatest, if not the greatest, comebacks in the history of EFC, with Van Zyl winning after taking punishment for three rounds.

“I have a good defensive technique and I outlast opponents simply because I am in better shape,” he says.

Van Zyl’s short-term goal right now might be victory in Pretoria tomorrow. But he has a dream of opening a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu school in the near future.

All Main Card fights live on SABC 3 at 9pm tomorrow evening.

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