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2024 IMMAF African Championships – THE PREVIEW

May 28 will be a historic occasion for the sport of mixed martial arts in the African continent. For the first time ever, the biggest continental amateur tournament, the IMMAF African Championships, will host Youth brackets as part of the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation’s efforts to continue building a pathway for young athletes to develop their skillsets as well as providing them with a proper platform to do so. 

This will only be the second time a Youth continental tournament takes place under the IMMAF, after the massive success of the European section earlier this year. But outside of the novelty of the Youth brackets, the Juniors and Seniors have plenty of storylines running through the tournaments. 

Between May 29 and June 1, the Juniors and Seniors take center stage in Windhoek, Namibia, for another great proof of why the IMMAF is the premier amateur organization in the sport. 

Over the last years, the IMMAF has provided a serious pathway to young African athletes to thrive under the amateur umbrella before moving on to the professional ranks. And the next generation is ready to follow the footsteps of the likes of Nkosi Ndebele and Eliezer Kubanza.

The host Team Namibia is led by Damian Muller who will look to become a two-time African champion at Senior Flyweight. But Muller will likely have to deal with the biggest challenge of his young amateur career in the form of Maurio Silva. The two-time African Bantamweight champion is dropping down to 125 lbs to make history by becoming a three-time continental gold medalist.

If they do meet, this has all the makings of being the greatest match-up in recent history for the IMMAF African Championships, who has plenty of returning champions eager to add to their gold medal tallies.

In the Senior Lightweight division, reigning champion and Angolan standout Pedro Calembela will have the challenge of DR Congo’s Jeremie Likobele, who won Gold in the Junior category last year and will hope for repeat in the Senior bracket. 

A similar situation could potentially take over the Featherweight division. Clelio Diogo, one of the stars of the African Championships, will look to defend his Senior Featherweight title possibly against Matias Monteiro, who’s making his Senior debut after winning a gold medal last year as a Junior. 

Another champion vs champion match-up that can possibly take place this year comes in the Senior Light Heavyweight division. Team Angola’s Mario Stefan will look to retain the title, but he might have to contend with countryman Anderson Gouveia, who is coming down from Heavyweight, after earning the Gold medal in that division last year. 

Other previous champions looking for a historic double include Team Angola’s Daniela Mandanji. After winning a gold medal last year in the Junior Strawweight division, she’s coming up to Junior Flyweight eager to add to her extensive list of achievements, which also include three national titles in Angola. 

With several returning champions slated for action, the expectations are high for this year’s tournament. A lot of young talent has been coming through Africa in the past few years, and the athletes looking to add invaluable experience to their belt as they continue to progress through the IMMAF Pathway.

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