President Saverio Longo of Host Federation, FIGMMA (Federazione Italiana Grappling Mixed Martial Arts), commented:
” I am very proud to be organising the IMMAF – WMMAA European Championships in Rome, together with Vito Paolillo, FIGMMA’s Vice-president. I want to thank IMMAF – WMMAA presidents, Kerrith Brown and Vadim Finkelchtein, and CEO Densign White for the trust they have given us, and I want to thank FIJLKAM President Domenico Falcone for granting us use of the temple of Italian martial arts, the PalaPellicone of Ostia, a marvellous venue on the Roman seafront, where the tournament will take place. We are committed to delivering, for the participating national teams, a well organised tournament and a comfortable stay in the beautiful city of Rome. Rome is ready to welcome all the best Amateur MMA competitors from around the world!”
ABOUT THE 2019 EUROPEAN & JUNIOR EUROPEAN OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
Running in parallel, the two five-day, nations tournaments are open to amateur MMA competitors from around the world, across 14 weight categories, from Atomweight to Lightweight for women, and Strawweight to Super Heavyweight for men.
While the Senior Championships is open to all eligible athletes over the age of 18, the U21s Junior Championships gives a platform for competitors of 18, 19 and 20 years only. The Junior events are designed to provide better opportunity for younger rising stars to shine against fellow competitors of a similarly limited range of experience. In line with IMMAF- WMMAA’s ethos, they also create a safer competition environment for younger adults who have not yet reached their physical peak.
Gold, Silver and 2 Bronze medals will be available to win in each division, and competitors will earn ranking points for the IMMAF-WMMAA World Amateur MMA Rankings. Both tournaments take place under the Unified Amateur MMA Rules
ABOUT FIGMMA (FEDERAZIONE ITALIANA GRAPPLING MIXED MARTIAL ARTS)
FIGMMA is a long-standing member of IMMAF, having first participated in the inaugural IMMAF World Championships in 2014 in Las Vegas. There the debuting Italian team clinched 5 medals including Gold, won by now UFC fighter, Alessio di Chirico. The team has continued make a dent in the divisions, currently sitting in the IMMAF – WMMAA top 20, and earning 1 Gold (Dario Bellandi), 2 Silvers (Ilaria Norcia, Giacomo Santoro) and 2 Bronzes (Giulia De Dominicis, Fabiana Giampa) in last year’s European Open.
FIGMMA is recognised by FIJLKAM (Italian Judo Wrestling Karate Martial Arts Federation), the NOC recognised organisation that governs the sports of judo, wrestling, karate and martial arts in Italy, and has long experience in organising regulated MMA competitions.
Athletes in interested in registering for the 2019 IMMAF- WMMAA European or Junior European Open Championships should contact their national federation for advice on how to apply.
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