By James Eakin
In their ongoing quest for appropriate and safe regulation of amateur MMA, IMMAF is pleased to announce the relaunch of their course for Cutmen and Cutwomen. The course will consist of theory, correct MMA hand wrapping technique and guidance to ensure that participants are able to navigate and work around the MMA safety area.
Under the watchful eye of Robert “Bob” Plant, the course provides the necessary groundwork for individuals looking to be part of the incredibly successful IMMAF Cut Team. Alongside Plant, the IMMAF Cut Team courses are delivered by one of three senior team teachers: Angelo Tarantini (FIGMMA, Italy), Vahagn Petrosyan (MMASP, Poland) and Paulo Benedito (FPLA, Portugal).
Angelo, Vahagn and Paulo hold a wealth of experience between them, having all spent time at numerous IMMAF Championships as a part of the Cut Team. They will be the perfect teachers to those enrol on the course, as they have first-hand experience of the highly demanding IMMAF event atmosphere and supervising an international Cut Team, supporting athletes over a demandingly large number of daily bouts.
Athlete welfare and safety has always been the top priority of IMMAF and the relaunching of the Cut Team course is a giant step forward in good governance. Furthermore, the introduction of the Cutman Licensing System for MMA in 2019 means that IMMAF is leading the way in appropriate regulation. IMMAF Director of Development, Andrew Moshanov, encapsulated IMMAF’s mission statement, saying:
“The International Mixed Martials Arts Federation (IMMAF) carries out due diligence for its participants and wants to ensure that they’re provided with the best possible service. All IMMAF accredited and certified specialists are required to refresh their training, to upskill themselves and to revalidate their licenses every 2 years. This includes coaches and cutmen”
Each participant in the new Cut Team course will learn general information about the role, essential jobs and responsibilities, as well as learning about useful operational setups for IMMAF events, focusing on athlete care between every round and after every bout.
