Picture: Bahrain’s Hussain Maki Mahdi (left) takes of European Open champion Jake Bond of the UK (right). Bahrain’s national amateur MMA team will make its way to Mumbai, India this week to compete at the Indian MMA Open Championships, taking place in conjunction with the BodyPower Expo 2016. National athletes from Bahrain’s groundbreaking KHK MMA team, founded and funded by Sheikh Khalid Bin Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa, will travel to Mumbai tomorrow, January 7, prior the competition on January 8th – 10th. Now in its third year, the event is be sanctioned by the All India Mixed Martial Arts Association (AIMMAA) and operates under the guidelines of IMMAF. As First Deputy President of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, and President of the Bahrain Athletics Association, Sheikh Khalid Khalid Bin Hamad and the Bahrain team were invited to compete by Jitendra Jain, President of the AIMMAA. The competition provides an excellent opportunity for Bahrain’s young amateur hopefuls to gain additional experience following their last outing in November of 2015. The nation secured its first IMMAF medal with 125lb flyweight Hussain Maki Mahdi securing the bronze position at the inaugural IMMAF European Open in Walsall, England. Bahrain also competed at the 2015 IMMAF World Championships in July, but fell short of a podium finish. KHK MMA’s Russian coach Eldar Eldarov explained that participation in several international championships in 2015 has increased the Bahraini fighters’ experience, and that this will reflect positively on their performance in India. He reported that the team is well trained and prepared for its first international participation of 2016. 
Bahrain national team set for Indian Open MMA Championships
