Paul Abraham
The 2026 IMMAF World Championships continued on Thursday, November 5, in Tbilisi, Georgia. The fourth day featured the semi-finals. Several athletes secured their places in the finals with spectacular finishes.
Serbia’s Aleksa Cortan faced Ukraine’s Stanislav Lemeshko in the junior light heavyweight division.
The reigning European Champion landed a huge right hand in the opening seconds of the second round, advancing to the Jr. Light Heavyweight final.
Angola’s Lionel Konda defeated Russia’s Alim Istepanov by first-round TKO. Georgia’s Givi Beridze stopped France’s Bambo Sima by TKO in the second round. Sima takes home a bronze medal
Russia’s Zurab Dzhandzhuliia submitted Tajikistan’s Ahmadshokh Abdulloev with a kneebar in the first round.
Bahrain’s Arsen Suleimanov, the 2025 Junior world champion, defeated France’s Salimou Danfakha with a Von Flue choke in the first round. Danfakha earned a bronze medal.
Russia’s Omaraskhab Iusupov submitted Algeria’s Bilel Boulama with an anaconda choke in the third round.
Throughout the week, athletes from around the world have delivered outstanding performances. Every continent has had its moment to shine.
The final stage of the championships begins tomorrow with the junior finals, where teams from Ukraine, Spain, Kazakhstan, USA, Russia, Tajikistan, England, Poland, the Czech Republic, Georgia, Angola, Uzbekistan, and Serbia are slated to see their athletes collide in the gold medal deciders.
