Pictured above: Turkish martial artists alongside members of the Turkey MMA and Self Defence Federation 84 athletes from 5 nations recently competed at the Balkan Amateur MMA Championships in Alanya, a coastal region of the Antalya Province in Turkey. National Teams of Amateur MMA standouts from Albania, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Iran, and Turkey came together to compete over a period of three days from 7th-9th May. The competition was covered by national press and with a TV broadcast in place on one of Turkey’s leading channels. With 21 competing athletes, Bulgaria emerged from the Balkan Championships as the most successful team of the competition, followed by host nation Turkey with the largest team of 54 athletes, in second place, and Azerbaijan placing third. Each Team was accompanied by its National President; Stanislav Nedkov of the Bulgarian MMA Federation, Orhan Ozakti of the Turkey MMA and Self Defence Federation, Kenan Mammadov of the Azerbaijan MMA League, and Arjan Rizagj of the Albanian Free Fighting Federation. [caption id="attachment_9656" align="aligncenter" width="648"]
Team Bulgaria, lead by BMMAF President and UFC veteran Stanislav Nedkov[/caption] Four out of the five competing nations provided at least one official while the competition was regulated by the Turkey MMA and Self Defence Federation. For more information of Turkey’s national governing body visit mucadelesporlarifederasyonu.org.tr]]>
Five Nations Compete at the Balkan Championships in Turkey
