MMA – BAHRAIN’S mixed martial arts (MMA) national team get their medal bids underway today in the 2025 IMMAF World Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia.
The prestigious International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) event is set to be held until Thursday next week as one of the main attractions of BRAVE International Combat Week under BRAVE Combat Federation.
The kingdom’s delegation has arrived in the Georgian capital. It is headed by Bahrain MMA Federation (BMMAF) president Mohammed Qamber, and includes a number of BMMAF board members.
Bahrain’s fighters are spearheaded by reigning world champions Gadzhi Gadzhiev and Gimbat Magomedov. They are to be joined in the competition’s seniors events by Magomed Sheikhov and Isaev Abdulla, while three youngsters will be competing in the juniors classes, including Tamim Seroor, Abdulla Ismaeel, and Arsen Suleimanov.
Gadzhiev will be competing in the men’s super middleweight 88.4kg while Magomedov will be fighting in the super welterweight 79.4kg category. Sheikhov will be going for gold in the senior men’s flyweight 56.7kg category, while Abdulla will be battling in the light heavyweight 93kg class.
Amongst the junior fighters, Seroor is in the flyweight 56.7kg division, Ismaeel in the strawweight 52.2kg class, and Suleimanov in the light heavyweight 93kg category.
The national team’s coaches are Eldar Khan, Sharap Gitinov, and Renat Iusubov.
Action gets underway with the round-of-32 bouts in each class today. That will be followed by the round of 16, quarter-finals, and semi-finals over the following three days, with the junior finals to be held on Wednesday and the senior finals on Thursday, the concluding day of the championships.
This year’s worlds marks the second edition in which IMMAF world champions will be awarded official title belts in recognition of their victories.
Speaking ahead of the start of action, Qamber commented: “We are proud of the participation of Bahrain’s champions in this major international event, being held as part of BRAVE International Combat Week.
“The national team enter the competition with high ambitions to continue achieving success and raise the kingdom’s flag high against the strongest talents and teams from around the world.
“We seek to strengthen Bahrain’s position as a major force in the sport of MMA.”
Qamber highlighted that thanks to the great support of the kingdom’s wise leadership and of Supreme Council for Youth and Sports first deputy chairman, General Sports Authority (GSA) chairman, and Bahrain Olympic Committee president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, along with the follow-up of GSA vice-chairman and Bahrain Combat Sports Council president Shaikh Salman bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, the BMMAF was able to provide the ideal environment for its fighters to gear up for the worlds.
In 2024, the kingdom’s national team ranked first amongst Arab nations in last year’s edition of the championships, held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. They came away with four medals, including two gold, one silver, and one bronze.
Gadzhiev and Magomedov were the gold-medallists, Sheikhov captured a silver medal, and Sultan Gapizov won bronze in the senior men’s super heavyweight +97kg category.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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