The IMMAF World Championships of Amateur MMA will return to Las Vegas (USA) in 2016 for UFC® International Fight Week, the planet’s largest celebration of combat sports.
Hosted by the global governing body for MMA, the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation’s third instalment of its prestigious 5 day tournament will be broadcast on UFC FIGHT PASS and international television as part of ongoing broadcast partnerships. The dates and location for IMMAF’s pinnacle annual event are yet to be announced.
Following 2 successful annual World Championships, the founding of Continental Amateur MMA Opens and the launch of the IMMAF World Amateur MMA Rankings, the 2016 World Championships is expected to outshine all previous IMMAF contests. While the 2015 IMMAF World Championships attracted Amateur competitors from 27 countries, IMMAF participants for the upcoming IMMAF European Open are numbering close to 200. With the expansion of IMMAF membership to 47 countries and ongoing increase in the level of competition, the 2016 IMMAF World Championships is set to present an unmissable week of elite Amateur MMA action.
IMMAF Championship events follow a unique tournament format within the sport and competitors are selected by draw to determine who they face in each round of competition. With 9 weight classes for men (Flyweight – Super Heavyweight) and now 5 for women (Strawweight – Lightweight), the international event follows the unified IMMAF Rules of Amateur MMA.
IMMAF CEO Densign White said:
“We are delighted to announce the 2016 IMMAF World Championships of Amateur MMA, as our annual celebration of Amateur achievement returns to Las Vegas next year. The increasing level in talent participating in IMMAF tournaments demonstrates both the development of Amateur MMA under IMMAF’s membership and the growing value of the IMMAF brand. Credit is due to IMMAF’s volunteer led membership working tirelessly at a grassroots level worldwide to improve the sport of MMA and opportunities for its participants. Year by year, MMA audiences across the world can witness and track the great strides made in our sport through IMMAF Championship events. Buy tickets, tune in on FIGHT PASS or local television and support the growth of mixed martial arts and its Amateur champions.”
Full event details are yet to be released.
