The senior women’s strawweight division has evolved considerably over the past two years. The 115lb bracket featured 9 contenders at the 2017 World Championships. This year, the division is set to host 18 of the World’s best with 21-year-old Back having spearheaded the division’s growth.
The fact that Back continues to pursue her first gold medal under the IMMAF banner is a testament to the depth of talent that she battles among. Since her international debut at the 2018 European Open, Back’s talents have grown to showcase great strength and forcefulness having taken the reigns from her predecessor and former world champion, Anna Astvik.
Back has brought a new level of intensity to the strawweight ranks, booking her place in the finals of the 2018 Worlds and 2019 European Open with submission and KO stoppages on each occasion with 3 out of 4 finishes secured without mercy in the opening round.
As the World and European silver medalist, Back is the number-one seed and the most consistent performer in her division and Team Sweden’s hunger to regain the strawweight world title no doubt linger. While the challenge grows greater each year, Back remains as the division’s perennial benchmark.
The International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) and World Mixed Martial Arts Association (WMMAA) host the 2019 Amateur MMA Awards on Thursday 14 November during the 2019 IMMAF | WMMAA Unified World Championships in Manama.
Senior Female Athlete of The Year nominations include:
• Nina Back (Sweden)
2018 World Championships: silver
2019 European Open: silver
• Alish Smith (Australia)
2019 Oceania Open: gold
2019 Asian Open: gold
• Gase Sanita (New Zealand)
2018 World Championships: gold
• Alexandra Kovacs (Hungary)
2018 World Championships: gold
By IMMAF.org lead writer: Jorden Curran
]]>
