By James Sweetnam
Poland’s second National Amateur Championships provided an opportunity for promising prospects to compete against the best in their country.
More than 140 of the best amateur fighters representing over 55 MMA clubs displayed their skills in front of 300 spectators at the Gliwice Arena on Saturday, 30 October. The tournament was organised by the MMA Polska Association supported by the city of Gilwice.
Over 3000 fans tuned into MMA Poland’s YouTube channel to watch nearly 120 fights, featuring athletes, who will one day be the future of the sport in their country. At least 55 clubs were represented at the event, which featured 18 different weight categories.
The list of winners of each weight category with tournament ladders:
https://turniej.mmapolska.org/wyniki/4.
Club ranking available here:
https://mmapolska.org/kluby_ranking2.php.
The photo gallery of the competition is available here:
https://mmapolska.org/gallery/2mmapl/index.html
WATCH HIGHLIGHTS:
This event was the second amateur MMA tournament organized this year by the Association following the June 12 tournament held at the Białołęka Sports Center in Warsaw.
The development of Polish MMA has been headed by Martin Lewandowski, who built the successful professional promotion KSW. The Pole is now navigating multiple hurdles to secure an exciting future for amateur sport in his country. Lewandowski 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. His work has helped to give the athletes, who competed at the championships, a fantastic opportunity to develop their skills, prior to potentially appearing at IMMAF tournaments down the line.
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz is an MMA Poland ambassador and committed anti doping campaigner. Despite losing his world title to an inspired Glover Teixeira at UFC 267, in Abu Dhabi on Saturday night, the sport is developing at an impressive rate in his home country. With so many skilled young fighters showcasing their abilities, it seems that the future of Polish MMA is in very good hands.
