Federation: Japan MMA Federation Number of competitors: 3 Having joined IMMAF in May 2015, the Japan MMA Federation will make its official IMMAF World Championship debut this summer in Las Vegas, Nevada. Formerly known as Japan MMA License (JML), the federation was founded in 1998 by Japan’s largest professional MMA promotion, PANCRASE, which features on UFC® FIGHT PASS™. Over 200 MMA gyms and 20,000 participants are affiliated to the Japan MMA Federation, a statistic that illustrates the federation’s grasp on the growth of amateur MMA nationwide. Products of the Shinjuku-Ku gym, Rika Hamada, Satoshi Miyokawa and Kohei Maeda will represent Japan at the 2016 IMMAF World Championships spanning the weight classes between 115-145lbs. Japanese MMA has a rich history, from Pride Fighting Championships under Nobuyuki Sakakibara and Nobuhiko Takada to PANCRASE and the development of the JMMAF. Kazushi Sakuraba, Takanori Gomi, Kid Yamamoto and Shinya Aoki to name just a few are Japanese stars who have forged a great legacy in MMA. One of the biggest proving grounds for mixed martial artists in the early 2000s, Japan has the chance to one again re-assert its dominance on the world stage with a successful #2016IMMAFWorlds. 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]]>
2016 IMMAF Worlds: Team Japan in Focus
