By James Sweetnam
MMA Poland will host their second National Amateur Mixed Martial Arts Championships on Saturday, 30 October, in Gliwice.
Approximately 300 fans will be in attendance at the Gliwice Arena, as the next wave of Polish prospects compete, with national bragging rights and future opportunities to represent their country on the line. Saturday’s event will also feature 2 hours of live transmission, so that fans who can’t attend in person can enjoy watching the championships from outside of the arena.
After crowning 2 UFC world champions, it’s clear that Poland is emerging as a genuine force on the world stage. Furthermore, it doesn’t look like their success will slow down anytime soon, as the Poles have been impressing on the amateur circuit as well. They have recently picked up three medals at the IMMAF European Open Championships in Kazan, Russia. Both Paulina Kontna and Magdalena Czaban looked magnificent as they emerged victorious on the final day of the tournament, picking up gold medals in the bantamweight and atomweight divisions respectively. Sara Jóźwiak was also impressive en route to the final in the featherweight division, in which she struck silver after falling short against Bahrain’s Sabrina Laurentina De Sousa.
The development of Polish MMA has been headed by Martin Lewandowski, who built the successful professional promotion KSW, and is now navigating multiple hurdles to secure an exciting future for amateur sport in his country. The Pole has established multiple partnerships across different industries to secure strategic funding that will support the progress of the governing body and its unique competition network.
On Saturday night, in Saudi Arabia, the UFC light heavyweight championship will be on the line; the promotion’s first ever male Polish champion, Jan Blachowicz, will attempt to defend his belt against Glover Teixeira. It seems only fitting that on the same day the next generation of Polish talent will be on display, as they all take the next step in their careers, believing that one day they too can reach the same heights.
