By Frank Bonada
At just 16 years old, Slovakia’s Mirko Mlyncek has firmly established himself as one of the latest rising stars of Youth MMA.
The reigning IMMAF European Champion in the Youth A 61.2kg division, Mlyncek most recently secured bronze at the 2024 IMMAF Youth World Championships.
In an interview with IMMAF, Mlyncek shared how his journey in martial arts began at an early age, providing structure, discipline, and purpose in his life. He stated:
“I was born prematurely with my twin brother, so I’ve had a warrior’s heart since I was little. I have been driven to move since childhood. For me, sport is a part of life, and I am very grateful for that because it has taught me discipline, perseverance, and, not least, there are health benefits.”
“When I was 4 years old, I started training with my brother at SAI Club Martin under the guidance of coach Miroslav Ševčík, where we started with exercise training. There are also jiu-jitsu trainings in the gym, so we gradually switched to BJJ, and as a 6-year-old, we were at our first tournament. Since then, we have been competing practically all over the world. We competed at the European and world competitions of the JJIF, IBJJF, NAGA, and ADCC federations. I already had over 300 matches in Jiu-Jitsu.”
Mlyncek would later transition from BJJ to MMA, and it wasn’t long before he was called to represent his national team at the IMMAF Youth World Championships. His first IMMAF tournament saw him travel to Abu Dhabi, competing in the iconic Mubadala Arena, where he finished with a 1-1 record.
In 2024, Mlyncek returned to IMMAF competition, this time for the European Championships. There, he made a major statement by claiming his first gold medal, overcoming five Youth prospects to become the Youth A Bantamweight Champion. Competing on such a prominent international stage was a dream come true for the young Slovakian, who shared his thoughts on the experience:
“I live my dream. It’s a great feeling, I’m always proud when I’m at the airport in my national kit and I’m coming to a big tournament to represent my country. I am also in the Slovak Sports Jiu-Jitsu Association, so I have many representative tournaments and it is always a great feeling. I always wanted to stand in the first place on the podium with the national flag and hear the national anthem played. When I won the IMMAF European Championship in Serbia this year, I was very proud and happy.”
He added: “IMMAF is a prestigious and very high-quality association in the world, so to place at the IMMAF competition is the biggest prestige we can get in amateur MMA.”
A key factor in Mlyncek’s success in Youth MMA is the unwavering support he receives from his family, teammates, and the Slovakian federations backing him.
“We live in beautiful country Slovakia in heart of Europe. My brother and father also train Jiu-jitsu. We train jiu-jitsu together and have great times playing sports. We spend a lot of time in sports activities. We also have a lot of common hobbies, so we are a great team.”
“I have support from the MMA association MAMMAL – SZMMA from the Slovak Sports Jiu-Jitsu Association SZSJJ. I am grateful that I can be a representative in both federations and their organizational support in participating in competitions. I also have financial support from the National Ju-jitsu Sports Association, which at least partially covers the costs of tournaments. I would also like to thank my home SAI club, coach, sparring team, friends and of course my family for their support.”
With such a strong foundation and an impressive start to his career, Mirko Mlyncek continues to represent Slovakia proudly on the global stage, setting himself up as a future star of amateur MMA.
