MMA – BAHRAIN’S Mahamat Youssouf gave the kingdom’s mixed martial arts (MMA) national team a winning start yesterday in the 2026 International MMA Federation (IMMAF) World Championships, currently being held in Tbilisi, Georgia.
Youssouf triumphed in his round-of-32 contest against Gavin Mitchell from the US in the junior men’s featherweight 65.8kg category.
The 18-year-old Bahraini won by unanimous decision and marched through to the last 16, where he will be going up against Dominik Ilkov from Czechia today.
Also yesterday, Bahrain’s Aseel Almutawa, also 18, went down fighting in his round-of-32 clash against Szymon Solowief from Poland in the junior men’s flyweight 56.7kg division.
Solowiej took a submission victory by triangle choke to move on in his medal bid.
Youssouf and Almutawa are part of a five-fighter squad flying the kingdom’s flag in the Georgian capital.
The national team is spearheaded by defending world champion Arsen Suleimanov, while the roster also includes top MMA stars Magomed Sheikhov and Isaev Abdula.
Suleimanov secured his maiden world title in last year’s IMMAF worlds, also held in Tbilisi, when he triumphed in the junior men’s light heavyweight 93kg category. He is back competing in the same weight class but this time as a senior men’s fighter. The 21-year-old gets his medal bid underway today against Fahad Alqahtani of Saudi Arabia in the round of 16.
Suleimanov is one of the kingdom’s top medal hopefuls in this year’s worlds. He is a rising star in the sport, having been shortlisted for a pair of prestigious 2026 IMMAF Athlete Awards, including Junior Male Athlete of the Year and Newcomer of the Year.
The winners of the accolades are to be announced on the sidelines of this year’s meeting.
Meanwhile, Sheikhov and Abdula are also set to begin their campaigns today.
After receiving a bye in the round of 32 of the senior men’s flyweight 56.7kg division, 30-year-old Sheikhov will take on Kamronkhuja Abdullaev of Uzbekistan.
Sheikhov was a silver-medallist in the same category from the 2024 worlds in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, but was unable to climb the podium in last year’s event.
Abdula, on the other hand, will take on Italian Alehandro D’agostino in the round of 16 of the senior men’s heavyweight 97kg division to kick start his medal aspirations.
The 25-year-old Bahraini is a reigning Asian champion in the senior men’s light heavyweight 93kg weight class and is hoping to add a world gold to his career winnings.
Bahrain are one of 32 national teams competing in the 2026 IMMAF World Championships. The kingdom’s delegation in Tbilisi also includes renowned coaches Renat Iusubov, Ebrahim Aun, and Husain Abdulla.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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