MMA – The sixth edition of the IMMAF Youth World Championships officially got underway yesterday in Al Ain, the UAE.
The event, held in the Emirati city for the first time, is taking place under the patronage of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Abu Dhabi Executive Council chairman Shaikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
It features a record participation of more than 1,000 male and female athletes representing 60 countries, including Bahrain.
Organised by the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) and hosted by the UAE Jiu-Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts Federation, the championship runs until Sunday.
The opening day featured high-intensity bouts and a vibrant atmosphere.
For the first time since the championship’s inception, competitions in the Youth D category, for athletes aged 10 to 11, were held.
There is also action in the Youth A (16 and 17 years old), Youth B (14 and 15), and Youth C (12 and 13) divisions.
Bahrain’s national team at the worlds who will be competing over the next few days are: in Youth A, Saood Salman in the strawweight 52.2kg division, Aseel Almutawa and Hamad Mohseni in the flyweight 56.7kg, and Abdulla Qahtan in the featherweight 65.8kg; in Youth B, Hamad Almehri in the 40kg category, Sayed Alawi Abdulla in the 44kg, Shawqi Alsada in the 48kg, and Yousuf Mercer in the 52kg; and in Youth C, Ali Baqlawa in the 31kg class and Abdulla Hussain and Rashed Alsaleh in the 40kg.
The young MMA fighters are coached by Renat Iusubov and Sharap Gitinov, while the national team administrator is Ebrahim Aun.