BABES AND BLOODY NOSES: CLASH OF TITANS 2024

Lente Treurnich

@lentetreurnich26

On Saturday 11 May, the Villagers Men’s Residence hosted their annual Clash of Titans event at Snowflake. Four men’s residences, namely Villagers, Heimat, Laureus and Ratau Lebone, participated in several rounds of mixed martial arts (MMA) during this event. The audience was also entertained by various artists, as well as the beautiful finalists of the Miss Titan pageant.

The event kicked off at 13:00. A mini-stage, bar area and tables were set up outside under a tarp. Philip Nolte of Heimat, who participated in season two of Die Kontrak, warmed up the audience. Afterwards, Villagers alumni Vivien Redelinghuis shared his musical talents.

Then, the Miss Titan contestants made their first impressions with the judges. The judging panel consisted of former Miss Titan winner, Palesa Maretlwa, Industrial Psychology intern at the North-West University (NWU) and freelance make-up artist, Jorina Smit, Miss Tourism World SA 2023/24 titleholder, Anchane Pretorius, and owner of the C&C Model Agency, Bejandri Lourens. After the announcement of the judges and introduction of the contestants, Villager alumni Kobus Lawson entertained the audience.

At 16:00, the crowd made their way to Snowflake’s hall. The boxing ring was set up in the middle of the hall and everyone immediately grabbed a chair as close to the ring as possible. Francois Viviers and Wehan van Rooyen of Nog ‘n Dag In Potch were the MCs for the event.

Viviers and Van Rooyen announced the first artists of the evening: Rooksein. However, the majority of the audience feared losing their seats around the ring, choosing to stay put rather than stand near the stage.

Unfortunately, there were some technical difficulties leading to microphone malfunction. The band was visibly upset with this turn of events. Luckily, the audience picked up on their dismay and cheered the band on every time the sound cut out.

The first fight took place after Rooksein’s performance. Both of the fighters, Niel Pieters and Gary Impey, were from Heimat. Impey won the fight. Next, it was Villagers’ Bernard Niemand up against Laureus’ De-Clercq Stoltz. Niemand beat Stoltz in three minutes nine seconds. After the two fights, Droomsindroom took to the stage. The technical difficulties were mostly solved.

Thereafter, the Miss Titan finalists finally had their chance in the spotlight. They paraded the stage with their best evening gowns and Colgate-smiles.

During the third fight of the evening, Heimat’s Jeandré Kotze beat Laureus’ Max Williamson with a triangle choke. Viviers and Van Rooyen then decided to entertain the audience with a fight of their own.

They were blindfolded with neckties and fought each other with pink and purple pool noodles. During the fourth (real) fight of the evening, Ratau Lebone’s Marcu Retief was up against Heimat’s Juan Marais. Retief won the fight.

The Miss Titan winners were announced after Retief and Marais’ fight. The second princess was Amy-Lee Peters from Klawerhof, the first princess was Megan Bam from Heide, and the titleholder of Miss Titan 2024, was fan- favourite Karli Pretorius from LaVaria.

Declin Bezuidenhout, third year in Behavioural Sciences and coordinator of the Miss Titan pageant, said they expect the new Miss Titan to be a true portrayal of a “Villagers mare” and to support the residence in whatever they participate in.

Die Heuwels Fantasties then began their performance, getting the audience excited for the final fight of the evening.

Both the fighters were from Villagers, and it was clear that these men knew what they were doing. DG Jacobs managed to beat André van Zyl in one minute and nine seconds. The audience expressed their dissatisfaction with the short fight, chanting “we want more”. However, a second round between Jacobs and Van Zyl did not take place.

Paul Engelbrecht, member of Villagers’ “seniorbond” and organiser of the fights, said, “I felt an abundance of pride when the day of the event came and I prepared the men for their fights, and went through the game plan for the last time. It was an honor to be a part of the event and we hope to make it bigger and better than the year before.” The night ended with an energetic performance by Synth Peter.

Wico Janse van Rensburg, one of the organisers of the event, shared that one of their biggest challenges was the requirements of the SASREA (Safety at Sports and Recreational Events) legislation.

“In my personal opinion, I think that this was one of our biggest challenges before and during the event, because it took a considerable amount of time to get all the documentation ready and to keep the police satisfied,” he said.

However, he said that, because they are now familiar with requirements, they hope to have all the necessary arrangements and documentation in place earlier next year.

Janse van Rensburg added that they want to involve more residences in the coming years, “The event was organised by students for students, to involve all residences and to create an event where everyone will be able to enjoy something. We already had all the ladies’ residences and a total of 4 men’s residences involved. We hope that more residences can/will participate next year.”