By Caoilte de Barra
In 2022 BRAVE International Combat Week will host the very first edition of the MMA Super Cup that is set to take place from March 8-12. A tournament promoted in association with KHK Sports, BRAVE CF, the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF), and the Bahrain Mixed Martial Arts Federation (BMMAF).
The competition will see 8 teams competing for the title of the best nation in the world and the largest prize money ever paid for an amateur MMA tournament. The first six spots were awarded to selected based upon the IMMAF Senior Global Rankings. The federations awarded spots were: RMMAU, Ukraine, Bahrain, Kazakhstan, Ireland, and Tajikistan. The top four teams were seeded for the draw as per their official ranking.
They will be joined by two wildcard entries, the Balkan Champions & Arab Champions in the knockout tournament bracket.
Each team will consist of 9 fighters (7 males and 2 females), one per weight class. Three alternates, or substitutes, two male athletes and one female, will also be allowed per team.
On the 7th of February at 5 pm Bahrain time (GMT +3), the official draw for the MMA Super Cup took place. IMMAF President, Kerrith was in attendance with his Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Hamad Al Khalifa and BRAVE CF President Mohammed Shahid. Following the draw, this is how the tournament looks.
Quarter-Finals
Match 1: RMMAU vs. Ireland
Match 2: Ukraine vs. Arab Champions
Match 3: Kazakhstan vs. Balkan Champions
Match 4: Bahrain vs. Tajikistan
Semi-Finals
Semi-Final 1: Winner of Match 1 vs. Winner of Match 2
Semi-Final 2: Winner of Match 3 vs. Winner of Match 4
Final
Winner of Semi-Final 1 vs. Winner of Semi-Final 2
Bronze Medal Match
Loser of Semi-Final 1 vs. Loser of Semi-Final 2
A panel discussion took place shortly after the draw where IMMAF President, Kerrith Brown gave his thoughts on the first of its kind event.
“It’s the first event of this nature, I have to thank his highness Sheikh Khaled bin Hamad Al Khalifa for his vision along with Mohammed Shahid in terms of driving this new initiative of nation vs. nation. It’s a concept we’ve always been interested in and now it is happening. And today It was great to see the draw in terms of the dynamics and how this will play out in terms of who will be the number one IMMAF national federation within the MMA Super Cup format.”
The winner of the tournament will take home the MMA Super Cup trophy and a US$ 100,000 check. The runner-up team will take US$ 75,000 home and the winner of the third-place match will take US$ 50,000. The prize money will be used for investment by the respective national federations.
