PLUS: NEW ENTRY CRITERIA FOR 2017 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IMMAF President, Kerrith Brown has outlined the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation’s Championship schedule for 2017. IMMAF’s 5-day, nation vs nation, Amateur MMA tournaments are planned across 4 regions as follows: · 2017 IMMAF European Open Championships – March 29 to April 2 – Sofia, Bulgaria · 2017 IMMAF Asian Open Championships – June – location TBA · 2017 IMMAF Africa Open Championships – August 28 to September 2 – Johannesburg, South Africa · 2017 IMMAF World Championships – November – location TBA The schedule maps out IMMAF’s annual calendar for forthcoming years, with bids from host nations and commercial entities already in play for 2018 and beyond. IMMAF’s continental series additionally features future opportunities for Oceanian and Pan American Opens, that may either substitute or be organised in addition to Africa or Asia Open tournaments, based on demand. IMMAF’s World and European Championship events already retain popularity as established annual competitions, while the 2017 Asian Open will be IMMAF’s first in the region. ENTRY CRITERIA Importantly, the competition calendar is set to have a definitive effect on the IMMAF World Amateur MMA Rankings. For the World Championships, the criteria will be in 3 stages:
IMMAF PRESIDENT OUTLINES CHAMPIONSHIPS SCHEDULE FOR 2017
1st Stage – Priority will be given to the top 32 ranked countries on a first come first served basis.
2nd Stage – If there are any vacancies available after stage 1, then the brackets will be opened up to all federations outside the top 32 ranked countries on a first come first served basis.
3rd Stage – If there are still any vacancies available in any of the weight divisions after stage 2, then the brackets will be opened to ALL federations on a first come first served basis with a maximum of 2 entries per weight division.
Ranking points can be obtained by national teams and athletes through participation and medals won in IMMAF competitions. See current IMMAF World Amateur MMA rankings: http://www.immaf.org/rankings/rankings-list/ IMMAF President Kerrith Brown commented: “We are excited to be able share our planned schedule for IMMAF competitions through 2017, so that Amateur competitors and national teams can in turn make their plans. By bringing IMMAF tournaments to more regions we aim to expand competitive opportunities for our members. Through increased participation we also expect to witness an ongoing rising competition level across the divisions. This is to culminate in the World Championships at the close of the year, which will showcase the best of the best of our elite Amateurs as IMMAF medallists battle it out for top position. “We are already in negotiations and processing bids for 2018 and beyond. Now is an ideal time for potential hosts, partners, sponsors and broadcasters to get involved, during this remarkable growth phase for Amateur MMA.” For partnership or hosting enquiries contact: [email protected]]]>
