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United World Wrestling Embraces Amateur Mixed Martial Arts (amma) In Historic Move

In an unprecedented step forward for combat sports, United World Wrestling (UWW) has formally announced the adoption of Amateur Mixed Martial Arts (AMMA) as a sanctioned discipline. This decision underscores UWW’s dedication to expanding its portfolio of traditional and contemporary combat sports, while maintaining its commitment to athlete development, safety, and organizational efficiency.

AMMA: A Natural Evolution of Pankration Elite
Historically rooted in the discipline of Pankration, AMMA represents a refined and modernized approach to the sport. Recognizing the similarities between Pankration Elite and mixed martial arts, UWW has rebranded the discipline as Amateur MMA while preserving its foundational elements and safety standards.

UWW has emphasized its focus on athlete safety and rule compliance, with updated regulations now available to guide National Federations in managing the discipline.

Unified Management for Combat Disciplines
In a move to streamline operations and foster collaboration, UWW has announced the formation of a unified committee to oversee AMMA, Grappling, and Pankration. This approach reflects UWW’s vision to reduce costs, enhance organizational efficiency, and create synergies between related combat sports disciplines. Athlete, Coaches, and Technical Commissions will support this committee, ensuring a well-rounded approach to the growth and governance of these sports.

National Federations’ Role
UWW has called on its Affiliated and Associated National Federations to take a leadership role in developing AMMA within their respective countries. Federations are encouraged to establish robust management structures to ensure proper participation, documentation, and adherence to international standards.

For countries where National Wrestling Federations opt not to lead AMMA initiatives, UWW has outlined procedures for associating alternate federations to oversee the discipline. This flexibility aims to ensure the rapid and credible development of AMMA globally.

Pathway to Growth and the Olympics

The adoption of AMMA aligns with UWW’s broader strategy to elevate combat sports to the highest levels of competition, including the Olympic Games. By bringing AMMA under its governance, UWW ensures consistent rules, athlete safety, and the integration of the sport into its global calendar of events.

Federations that do not engage with AMMA by participating in competitions or submitting required documentation by January 2025 risk losing their role in managing the discipline. This measure underscores UWW’s commitment to fostering active engagement and growth.

Team Canada Amateur Mma Set For 2016

The Canadian National Team Trials were held by CCA ( Canadian Combat Alliance ), Canada’s National Governing Body for MMA under IMMAF. The Trials were hosted by Alberta Amateur MMA Association (Provincial Member Federation of CCA) under the auspices of the City of Lethbridge Sports Commission.

Athletes who competed at the 2016- Canadian Trials came from the Provinces of ALBERTA, BRITISH COLUMBIA, ONTARIO, SAKATCHEWAN and QUEBEC.

The 2016 -Trials showcased the tremendous talented Men and Women athletes of Canadian Amateur MMA. Team CANADA is looking to better their Team Results at the 2016 – IMMAF World Championships as in 2015 – CANADA placed 3rd as Nation at the IMMAF Worlds with winning 2x Golds, 1x Silver, 1x Bronze and 2x 4th places.

The 2016 – Canadian National MMA Championships marked a New Sponsor for TEAM CANADA. The Sponsor – PasSportMe.com is a Crowdfunding, Sports Social Media, and Sports Federation Management platform that is sponsoring TEAM CANADA athletes.

The Canadian Finals on May 29th showcased spectacular matches by the 2015 – Team Canada members from the 2015 World Championships. The 2015 – IMMAF World Bronze medalist – Sambath KUHN ( 135lbs ) and IMMAF World Silver medalist Alexander MARTINEZ ( 170lbs ) of ALBERTA secured their return to Las Vegas by winning their weight classes.

In contrast, 2015- Team CANADA members – Jessie ATWELL (125lbs) and Dylan LIELKE (155lbs) were narrowly defeated in the Finals by newcomers – Jarrett VORNBROCK ( 125lbs) and John NGUYEN (155lbs).

At the conclusion of the 2015 Canadian Team Trials The Canadian Combat Alliance – President – Rohit SETH stated …………….
” Canada is at a new juncture in the Sport of Amateur MMA. We have qualified the most advanced Team yet to compete at the IMMAF Worlds. I congratulate the hard efforts of all Canadian Amateur MMA athletes and I wish Team Canada the very best of luck in their anticipated victory at the IMMAF World Championships 2016.

My commendation to the Board of Directors of CCA on their commitment, perseverance and support in holding excellent 2016 – National Championships. Special thanks to Lee Mein, Bill Mahood, Lethbridge Sports Commission, Jenn Wolstenholme and the volunteers for hosting the Nationals in Lethbridge.”

Check out the stunning action Photos below and the full Results provided by CCA ( Photos by – Josip MRKOCI and Graphics by- Shane Weaver) of TEAM CANADA lineup of the Canadian athletes which qualified for the 2016 – IMMAF WORLD AMATEUR MMA CHAMPIONSHIPS ( July 4-10th ) in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
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TEAM CANADA
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125lbs – F – Flyweight – Allan Brittney
135lbs – F – Bantamweight – Dinwoodie Sierra
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125lbs – M – Flyweight – Vornbrock Jarrett
135lbs – M – Bantamweight – Kuhn Sambath
145lbs – M – Featherweight – Fehr Ben
155lbs – M – Lightweight – Nguyen John
170lbs – M – Welterweight – Martinez Alexander
185lbs – M – Middleweight – Laporcak Filip
205lbs – M – Light Heavyweight – Cronkite Colton
265lbs – M – Heavyweight – Francotti Kyle
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Immaf European Championships 2015

Each national federation is also entitled to recommend event officials through the IMMAF National Technical Officials application process.
The competition draw will take place on Wednesday 18th November at 18.30hrs at the Hilton Metropole in Birmingham. Official weigh-ins and pre-fight medical examinations will be held on the morning of each competition day and Anti-doping tests will be executed according to the IMMAF Anti-doping Policy. Further Anti-doping policy information can be found on the IMMAF website: http://www.immaf.org/about/anti-doping/

In order for an athlete to obtain points for the forthcoming IMMAF World Amateur MMA Ranking List, her/his weight category must include participants from at least 2 different countries. The top 8 competitors in each weight category will be seeded according to the world ranking list which currently reflects the results of the recent IMMAF World Championships and is to be released shortly.

2 competitors: Gold medal match, no silver.
3,4,5 competitors: Round robin. Gold, silver and 1-2 bronze medals attainable.
6 and more competitors: Single Elimination, no repechage. Gold, silver and 2 bronze medals attainable.

The competition will be conducted in accordance with the IMMAF Amateur MMA Rules (3×3 mins) and the competition draw will be managed by tournament software system, http://www.splitdraw.com/. The draw system for each weight class will be stipulated according to the number of participants as follows:

The 2015 IMMAF European Open Championships is open to amateur MMA competitors from all member countries via their national IMMAF affiliated federation. Each federation can enter a maximum of 2 entries per weight category, with an imposed limit of 32 participants for each weight category. Weight categories run from Flyweight (125lbs/ 56.7kgs) to Super Heavyweight (+265 lbs /+120.2kgs) for men; and Strawweight (115lbs /52.1kgs) to Featherweight: (145 lbs /65.8 kg) for women. The deadline for competitor applications is Friday 18th October 2015.

The event will be broadcast post-event on UFC FIGHT PASS and international television.

BOOK DISCOUNT IMMAF HOTEL ACCOMMODATION HERE: www.immaf.org/hiltonhotel

The venue for the foundational European tournament will be the Walsall Sports Centre at the University of Wolverhampton. Participants will be accommodated in Birmingham city centre. Situated in the heart of the British Midlands, Birmingham is a lively cultural hotspot at the hub of England’s rail and motorway networks. The city has its own international airport, Birmingham Airport.

BUY TICKETS: http://www.immaf.org/buy-immaf-tickets/

The 2015 IMMAF European Open Championships of Amateur MMA takes place 19 -22 November in the United Kingdom and is hosted by the United Kingdom Mixed Martial Arts Federation (UKMMAF).

Canada Takes 3rd Internationally

Canada takes 3rd at the International Mixed martial Arts (IMMAF) World Championships held in Las Vegas during the UFC Fight Week.Canadian Combat Alliance (CCA) with 2378 points, won four medals at the IMMAF Amateur World Championships including two Gold, one Silver, and one Bronze.Saeid “Prince of Persia” Mirzaei won Gold in the Male Light-Heavyweight division and Jamie Herrington, at Female 145lbs.Both are ranked #1 in their divisions. Herrington ranked #5 pound-for-pound and Mirzaei ranked #2 pound-for-pound Amateur MMA fighter in the world.