AIMMAAs National Amateur MMA Event Creates History In The Indian MMA World

Event Name: AIMMAA National Amateur Mixed Martial Arts Championship

Venue: Rajiv Gandhi Indoor stadium, Bangalore, Karnataka, India.
Time: 30th September, 1st & 2nd October 2016.
Times have changed and seasons elapsed, India has also seen great changes and
growth in sports. And one of the worlds fastest growing sports MMA is catching up real fast.
Indias largest and oldest MMA association the All India Mixed Martial Arts Association
(AIMMAA) had an active phenomenal MMA circuit this year; and to add to the episode of
events was the AIMMAA Nationals, which was the 3 rd among the three big Amateur Events of
the year, crossing double century participants. AIMMAA is promoting the sport of MMA since
2004 and is the only National Association which is internationally affiliated to International
Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF), the international governing body for amateur MMA,
launched with support of market leader, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Due to
the active regional heads, the sport of MMA has been included in the police games in parts of
North East India and Sports For All event in Western India. Sports For All is a first-of-its-kind
organization set out to revolutionize the way India plays inter-school sports and inter-college
sports.
The National event was organised by an AIMMAA Affiliated state- Association of Mixed
Martial Arts Karnataka (AMMAK), in association with FitPro- a AIMMAA recognized training
centre in India. Event commission members comprised of Core AIMMAA Committee- Alan
Fenandes, Prasad Gaitonde, Sharif Bapu and Samuel Lalrozma Hmar (3 of whom were IMMAF
Technical Officials at the world championships).
The AIMMAA nationals witnessed 200+ participation from 26 states & union territories
(Athletes from 22 states and 4 debut states who came as official), which indicates the
significant growth of MMA in India. Bringing 26 states and UTs was a history in itself as there
has only been very few cases wherein these many states had come together in the past for
MMA. Few of the states are in remote and terrain areas that it take 3-4 days of travel by train.
State Association and FitPro sponsored 6 athletes who could not afford their fees and costs
involved in food, travelling and accommodation. Some of the state Chief delegates also
walked the extra mile to sponsor their state students.
Safety of the event was one major priority. As per AIMMAA standard, all the athletes
had submitted their pre-fight medical report, and on the event day the Medical team
comprising an Orthopedician, a Sports Injury specialist, a General Physician along with
paramedic staff and life support ambulance were present. Also, as AIMMAA is having one of
the most experienced officials, the amateur athletes were treated with utmost care, on
technical grounds. A team of Professional doctors & paramedics, along with trained officials
took great care of the fighters. And as the sport is growing overwhelmingly in the country,
more and more trained officials needed to be made. So, to prepare new officials and refresh
the old ones with their skills, a referee and judge seminar was held prior to the event, by
Prasad and Samuel. New officials were given chance in the event under the guidance of
seniors. No serious causalities were reported, except some minor cuts and KOs which was
taken care immediately.
Medals were awarded, as per IMMAF norms to the top 4 athletes (1 Gold, 1 Silver & 2
bronze) in each category and total of 13 categories we drawn. Special trophies were awarded
to the champion state, best team and the best fighter. All the Affiliated and Non-Affiliated
States, including many Clubs across India were invited to the tournament. The qualities of the
Athletes was much improved and this event saw some emerging talents who dominated the
trailing champions. The host state- Karnataka was the leading state in overall medal tally.
There was an overwhelming response from the crowd and the stadium was jam packed. The
event was covered by news channels and the incident was stormed in most of the state
newspapers, making AIMMAA Nationals the talk of the town. Seeing the development of the
sports under AIMMAA, sponsors are slowly coming up. Even for this event food supplement

company Corebolics and combat equipment company USI came forward; although not so
much, but was good as a starter.
Lets hear from some of the leaders:
Alan Fenandez, national coach: AIMMAA has and always been committed for the
development of the Sport of MMA and the growth of the athletes from day one and this event
is a testament of that commitment. Our endevour to develop the sport from the grassroot
levels is paying off and soon we will have the best athletes from India staking claims for
medals at the world level. AIMMAA is all about Team work and its chiefs and all officials are
proficient and know their job responsibilities!!
Sharif Bapu, National working committee President: This National Championship we
saw new talent from various states of our country looking promising to take on the World
MMA amateur circuit by Surprise. The AIMMAA Amateur National 2016 was one of the
highlights in the history of Indian MMA Sports. Where more than 200 Fighters from 22 States
& officials from 26 states were a part of this epic championship. Crowd of around 1000 people
were motivated as the standard of fighters was just excellent. Overall, as the NWC President, I
was myself mesmerized by the flow of event as around 100 bouts took place smoothly on
both days. The standard of fighters & their enthusiasm to show their skill was amazing. The
future of Indian MMA is beyond imagination.
Prasad Gaitonde, NWC General Secretary: India has got both volume and value
based talent. With the talent that we have, we are confident of grabbing a medal at World
championship soon. The only thing stopping us is the cost involved, and getting sponsorships.
The last South African open, where an Indian athlete gave a tough fight against IMMAF no. 1
Sweden was just a beginning. India has around 100+ known MMA training centres, many of
which are sourcing trainers from abroad. Good training the main purpose for which people
used to travel abroad is now made available in India. As an association, AIMMAA is backing
the sports to get recognition. With the pace and development happening in India the days are
not far when Indian MMA will make a place at landmark at world level.
Saad Khayyom, Director of FitPro (the co-organizer): The event's massive success in
terms of participation and quality of the tournament was FitPro's primary goal and we are
pleased to have achieved that. We have now planned for further tournaments and events not
just in MMA, but specifically Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Also, we're launching training
programs to be conducted in the North-East and across India, by renowned national and
international coaches and athletes.
Samuel Lalrozma, National Amateur Referee Commission Chairman: There was a
time when I searched for MMA on the internet and the only place was Tigers gym Nashik, in
the early 2000s. We travelled there, trained there, fogught in small gym wars. I could never
have imagined India would have developed so much. On the technical aspect also, working
under seniors like Alan sir, with one of my best colleague Mr. Prasad who is one of the most
expereiced judge in the country has boosted my morale higher. Talent goes to waste if it is
not harnessed, and I have seen leaders, coaches, state heads coming up to support poor
talented fighters. Even though the pioneer of MMA and commissioner of AIMMAA Mr. Daniel
was not present for the event, his guidance has made his dream an the dreams of many a
success. With the support og the media and the public, plus the govt. This sport will surely
take India to higher places soon.
AIMMAA has been organizing and sanctioning events all over the country, throughout
the year and has sent fighters ti international platforms, such as the follows:
National:
BodyPower India Open MMA Championship, Mumbai (International event)
AIMMAA nationals grappling Championship, Mumbai (National event)
AIMMAA NATIONALS, Bangalore (National event)
Bangalore Open MMA Championship (National event)
SFL 47, Delhi (Fight Night)
SFL 48, Pune (Fight Night)
JSJ Fight league, Mizoram (Fight Night)
Kerala Fight Night, Kozhikode (Fight Night)
International:
IMMAF All African open, South Africa
IMMAF world Championship, USA

 CFC 1 - The Cedar Force, Lebanon

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Medal Tally State Wise:

Sl. No.
1
2
3
4
5
6

State & UT

Gold

Silver

Bronze

Karnataka

Maharashtra

Assam

Kerala

Telangana

Mizoram

7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22

Uttarakhand

Tamil Nadu

Rajasthan

Delhi

Odisha

Goa

Punjab

Chhattisgarh

Meghalaya

Gujarat

UP

J&K

Madhya Pradesh

Bihar

West Bengal

Andhra Pradesh

Female Straw Weight Category

Gold

Robina Laskar

Assam

Silver

Nitu Kumari

Rajasthan

Bronze

Meenakshi Chandl

Chhattisghar

Gold

Nishighandha Rao

Maharashtra

Silver

Priyadarsini Ghatuary

Odisha

Bronze

Saloni Avhad

Maharashtra

Female Fly Weight Category

Female Bantam Weight Category

Gold

Ritika Poojary

Maharashtra

Silver

Thulasie

Karnataka

Bronze

Anshika

Rajasthan

Female Open Weight Category

Gold

Divya

Karnataka

Silver

Nishighandha Rao

Maharashtra

Bronze

Ritika Poojary

Maharashtra

Bronze

Thulasie

Karnataka

Mens Straw Weight Category

Gold

Vishnu ks

Kerala

Silver

Darshan M R

Karnataka

Bronze

Naveen Shetty

Karnataka

Bronze

Amareshwar

Odisha

Gold

Shiva Raj B

Karnataka

Silver

PMS Dawngliana

Mizoram

Bronze

Amareswar swain

Odisha

Bronze

Anastasius Ryndongsngi

Meghalaya

Mens Fly Weight Category

Mens Bantam Weight Category

Gold

Surya Negi

Uttarakhand

Silver

Sadashiv

Karnataka

Bronze

Pankaj Kumar

J&K

Bronze

Lalramdinthara

Mizoram

Mens Feather Weight Category

Gold

Priyanku Saikia

Assam

Sreedev cp

kerala

Silver
Bronze

Rohit Sudhir Yadav

Maharashtra

Bronze

Virendra Kumar Baghel

UP

Mens Light Weight Category

Gold

Sunil

Telengana

Silver

Abhijit Kundu

Karnataka

Bronze

Dipankar bajaj

Delhi

Bronze

Akshay Baburaj

Kerala

Mens Welter Weight Category

Gold

Gokul Kesavan

Karnataka

Silver

Mehdi shah

Maharashtra

Bronze

Suraj

Maharashtra

Bronze

Vijay Saini

Delhi

Mens Middle Weight Category

Gold

Muhammed Sanoob

Karnataka

Silver

Rahul Gogoi

Punjab

Bronze

VINIT DESAI

Gujrath

Bronze

HIMANSHU YADAV

Maharashtra

Mens Light Heavy Weight Category

Gold

Prabhu

Tamilnadu

Silver

Sailo

Mizoram

Bronze

Aravind V

Karnataka

Bronze

Parvinder Singh

Rajasthan

Mens Heavy Weight Category

Muhammed Zulkharnain
Gold
beig
Karnataka
Silver

Alroy Rodrigues

Goa

Bronze

J mani ratnam

Telangana

Bronze

Karthik

Karnataka