34 of those young pioneers will be representing team USA, who travel to Rome with the competition’s largest national squad of 34 athletes.
The event’s standout national teams include the likes of the U.S. (34), Ireland (28), Ukraine (27), England (26), Russia (25), Kazakhstan (24) and Italy (20) with age based divisions featuring: Youth A 16-17s (U18), Youth B 14-15s (U16) and Youth C 12-13s (U14).
The USFL recently announced which athletes would be representing the United States, showcasing a momentous and diverse coming together of young athletes from across the nation’s cities and prominent gyms. The USFL serves as the youth development affiliate for the USA Mixed Martial Arts Kick International Federation (UMMAF) of the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF.)
Via the USFL:
Lake Forest, CA- The United States Fight League is pleased to announce the national team roster for the first IMMAF [Youth] World Championships taking place in Rome, Italy this August. This follows the youth national championship which took place in June. UFC veteran Joe Stevenson will serve as head coach.
USFL President Jon Frank said, “The national championships and world team selection tournament was historic in the sense whereas it was first time the top kids from parts of the United States convened in a single venue and competed with the purpose of representing the U.S. in an internationally recognized World Championships for youth. This was no easy task as compared to countries with national sports ministries who fully support their youth development, and whom we are about to meet in Rome.” The U.S. team is comprised of youth athletes from California, Florida, Hawaii, Arizona, Maryland, Illinois and Iowa. The roster is as follows:
| NAME | CITY | TEAM NAME |
| Joseph Bowers | Pheonix, Arizona | Power MMA |
| Delton Kaufmann | Pheonix, Arizona | Power MMA |
| Xeric Karoutsos | Orlando, Florida | Ru Camp |
| Brandon Apodoca | Orlando, Florida | RuCamp |
| Alana Delva | Orlando, Florida | Ru Camp |
| Victoria Lee | Mililani, Hawaii | Team United MMA |
| Adrian Lee | Mililani, Hawaii | Team United MMA |
| Angelina Calpito | Mililani, Hawaii | Team United MMA |
| Ethan Badayos | Mililani, Hawaii | Team United MMA |
| Logan Hackbarth | Mililani, Hawaii | Team United MMA |
| Kai Sekigawa | Mililani, Hawaii | Team United MMA |
| Nate Driskell | Santa Rosa, California | Nor Cal Fight Alliance |
| Raul Rosas | Santa Rosa, California | Nor Cal Fight Alliance |
| Jesse Rosas | Santa Rosa, California | Nor Cal Fight Alliance |
| Kevin Rosas | Santa Rosa, California | Nor Cal Fight Alliance |
| Lea Bivins | Sacramento, California | Carnage MMA |
| Alexis Erwin | Sacramento, California | Carnage MMA |
| Justin Barclay | Sacramento, California | Marinoble MMA |
| Travis Boyles | Kelseyville, California | Evolution MMA |
| Alexander Ramirez | Beaumont, California | Pinnacle MMA |
| Alexander Trujillo | Cherry Valley California | 10th Planet Riverside |
| Andrea Frisque | Desert Hot Springs, California | Kihon MMA |
| Calen Greer | Corona, California | UFC Gym Corona |
| Jaylene Martinez | Victorville, California | Pinnacle MMA |
| Jeremy Dray | Riverside, California | Riverside Submission |
| Jesse Jimenez | West Covina, California | UFC Gym Rosmede |
| Nadhia Barrientos | San Diego, California | Gamebred MMA |
| Rashad Satterwhite | Victorville, California | Cobra Kai |
| Regina Awana | Riverside, California | Riverside Submission |
| Sergio Porras | San Diego, California | One Legacy MMA |
| Shaniyah Carlson | Desert Hot Springs California | Kihon MMA |
| Rhonin Swenson | Oxon Hill, Maryland | Team Lloyd Irvin |
| Billie Merreighn | Weldon, Illinois | Bloomington Team One BJJ |
| Brayden Broderick | Dallas Center, Iowa | Team Broderick |
According to Mr. Frank, the USFL has created an ongoing grassroots fundraising campaign to pay the almost $8,000 in athlete participation fees and equipment costs so they can represent the U.S. on the world stage. Any support within the MMA community directly benefits these kids who work so hard to represent the country. More information on the event can be found at IMMAF.org.
For more event information including national teams, visit MyNextMatch.com.
For USFL updates includes information on how you can support the nation’s athletes, visit the USFL on Facebook.
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