By Caolite de Barra
Day 6 of the 2021 IMMAF World Championships has concluded in the Jiu-Jitsu Arena in Zayed Sports City, Abu Dhabi. Sixteen amateur Champions were crowned as the Seniors finals closed out the competitions.
In the opening fight, a new Atomweight World Champion was crowned as Ireland’s Nadine Abbott Bissett won via Unanimous Decision. Her bout with Finland’s Jenna Horto was non-stop action from the off. But it was the Irish fighter’s grappling that gave her the edge.
A three-time world champion was crowned for the very first time as Kazakhstan’s Bagdat Zhubanysh put on a mesmerising performance to create IMMAF history. His fight with RMMAU athlete Farkhod Rakhmonaliev was gruelling at times and very technical, however, it was a clear win for the ever dominant Zhubanysh.
The Women’s Featherweight final was a lopsided victory for Bahrain’s Sabrina De Sousa. Extending her sensational run by putting on a striking clinic against Norway’s Cecilie Bolander. De Sousa was untroubled on her way to victory, cancelling out her opponent in the grappling department. The undefeated fighter is now the most decorated Women’s Athlete in IMMAF history, consecutively winning two World Championships and one European Open Championship.
Pound for pound number one, Ramazan Gitinov of Bahrain added yet another medal to his collection by winning his second World Championship. He defeated Tajikistan’s Jovidon Mahmudov in a closely contested fight.
Over at Middleweight, we were treated to a spectacular performance from New Zealand’s Fergus Jenkins. Prior to the fight, the New Zealand team commemorated the fight with a pre-match Haka. The breakthrough talent then topped off his debut competition by defeating RMMAU’s Iusup Magomedov over three rounds.
Bahrain’s Rasul Magomedov made it three gold medals in 6 months by defeating RMMAU’s Shamil Kurmagomedov via Split Decision. Magomedov only made his IMMAF debut at the 2021 European Open Championships, where he won gold. He followed this up by another gold medal at the World Cup. His win completes a clean sweep in 2021 IMMAF events.
Closing off the event a new Super Heavyweight champion was crowned following Bahrain’s Pasha Kharkhachaev’s exit from the competition. RMMAU’s Shamsutdin Makhmudov was crowned champion following a TKO victory to finish proceedings.
The rescheduled tournament was hosted by the UAE Jiu-Jitsu and MMA Federation, with backing from the Abu Dhabi Sports Council and in partnership with Palms Sports.
