Pictured above: Dan Hardy interviews IMMAF President Kerrith Brown IMMAF.org recently caught up with British UFC veteran Dan Hardy, and discussed “The Outlaw’s” fast developing interest in the rapidly growing world of Amateur MMA, under the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation. Hardy recently attended the UKMMAF National Championship Tournament in Birmingham, England, and expressed his keen interest in becoming more involved with Europe’s Amateur scene, alongside his UFC analyst duties which see him cover Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). The 2016 IMMAF World Amateur Championships are fast approaching, and Hardy looks forward to attending when the world’s top Amateur standouts face off in Las Vegas. “I’m just starting to get involved with it,” Hardy explained. “I’ve been pretty busy with the UFC so far but moving forward and I want to start working with the sport much more as a whole in Europe, and obviously IMMAF is a good way in to that. The [World Championships] Tournament coming up in Vegas is really exciting. I’m going to be around it all week doing various bits of filming and getting eyes on it, I think it’s great.” [caption id="attachment_9933" align="alignright" width="659"]
Dan Hardy interviews Featherweight Amateur competitor Byron Thomas, alongside coach and UFC Light-Heavyweight contender Jimi Manuwa at the UKMMAF National Championships[/caption] The UKMMAF National Tournament saw multiple teams from across the country, some coached by UFC veterans such as Jimi Manuwa and Danny Mitchell. Hardy was pleased to see his UFC comrades showing dedication to bringing legitimacy to Amateur competition and hopes that more established professionals will follow. “I wish we could see more (UFC) fighters here. I know Brad Pickett is doing a lot with promoting his own show. From what I’ve heard, he’s fantastic at matching fighters evenly as well. To see Jimi down here coaching his guys, and Danny Mitchell with a big team of guys, it’s really exciting. I hope we see more professionals around the Amateur scene, helping these guys out.” Since 2015, several IMMAF Gold Medalists have grabbed the attention of leading MMA promoters worldwide, and have broken ground for Amateur MMA by making their professional debuts under the banner of notable organisations. These fighters include the likes of two-time IMMAF World Champion Jose Torres who accumulated a trailblazing Amateur record of 25-1 before signing with the USA’s Titan FC, plus Italy’s 2015 World Champion Micol DiSegni who joined the Female ranks of South Africa’s EFC, and Iceland’s IMMAF European Open Champion Sunna Rannveig who was picked up by leading Women’s MMA promotion, Invicta. The trend will remain ongoing, and Hardy credited the international development platform that IMMAF has to offer. He continued, “After this next Championships, I think people are going to start seeing IMMAF as something that is going to benefit organisations around the world and all the fighters involved.” The former UFC Welterweight title challenger highlighted the dedication he sees in IMMAF President Kerrith Brown. Hardy feels that the IMMAF President’s history as an Olympic Judoka and former head of British Judo is something that can go a long way to ensuring that MMA’s grass roots can flourish. “Kerrith has a lot of experience with the Olympic Committee which is invaluable for us, we need to take notes from people who are already successful with organising Amateur sports. Kerrith’s a very dedicated man, I see him at all the events, he’s always on the road for these fights and keeping his finger on the pulse of the sport. To have someone heading IMMAF and taking control, then it’s good to see someone with that kind of experience, with that kind of legitimate reputation as well as being an Olympian.” Written by IMMAF.org lead writer and website manager, Jorden Curran]]>
