Federation: Albanian MMA Federation Number of competitors: 1 Albania is one of three Balkan states contending for glory at the 2016 IMMAF World Championships of Amateur MMA and with one fighter on their roster, they will be the biggest underdog of teams hailing from South-Eastern Europe. The Albanian Free Fighting Federation (AFFF) was established in 2014 and was the fiftieth member to join IMMAF. The sport of MMA has seen expediential growth in Albania thanks to the AFFF who are recognised as the national governing body by the Albanian Ministry of Sport. It is estimated that around 470 mixed martial arts practitioners compete at amateur level in Albania and their sole representative at UFC International Fight Week™ will be Ermal Hadribeaj. Hadribeaj is well known on the Albanian circuit and possesses a very tactical hit-and-move style which has helped him onto six amateur wins. Under Head Coach Arjan Rizaj, Hadribeaj can upset the odds with his awkward style of fighting, highlighted by his forceful push-kick and thunderous slams. Similar to the Albanian Men’s Football Team – who made their first ever major tournament appearance at UEFA Euro 2016 – Team Albania also make their international debut at the #2016IMMAFWorlds, amateur MMA’s ultimate proving ground. Attend the 2016 IMMAF World Championships at UFC International Fight Week™ in Las Vegas, Nevada (USA): July 5 – 7, Las Vegas Convention Center FREE ENTRY July 8 & 10, UFC Fan Expo® BUY TICKETS: ufc.com/event-ticket-info FOLLOW the results live at mynextmatch.com or on Twitter at @IMMAFed]]>
