With over 30 nations and 300 elite athletes in attendance, action began in cage 3 with the host nation’s junior men’s bantamweight representative, Fidel Gramiccia (pictured), facing Yaroslav Livandovskyi of the formidable Ukraine national team.
Perhaps an omen of good fortunes on home soil, Italy began the 2019 European Open with a fitting start, as Grimiccia secured a unanimous decision victory on Day 1 of competition and his opening bout of the junior 135lb bracket, standing out into the later stages with pressing stand up offence.
With 21 athletes set for action, Italy boasts the 5th largest squad of the competition with a total of 6 bouts on Day 1. For full bout schedule click HERE and visit MyNextMatch.com for live results. Follow @IMMAFed on social media platforms for more live updates.
By IMMAF.org lead writer, photographer: Jorden Curran
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