Photo by Jorden Curran: Diab strikes against Kalata[/caption] In the tournament finale, taking place at the UFC Fan Expo on July 10, Diab faced former IMMAF Worlds Silver medalist Marcin Kalata. Like Meredith, Poland’s Kalata was assumed to posses the greater mobility and cardio, but found himself out-fought by Diab’s constant charge. Diab and Kalata went back and forth as the opening round played out; each man tagging the other with significant strikes. While Diab proved himself as a heavy hitter in the semi-final, it was against Kalata where he showcased a solid chin, no doubt reminiscent of Roy Nelson to the UFC fans in attendance. As the fast pace continued, it was the smaller man, Kalata, who began to fade, while Diab remained strong and pressed on to finish the bout via TKO at 2:39 of the first round. Having made history for his nation and Lebanese MMA, the Beirut native has expressed an interest in moving down to take on Heavyweight competition, with a weight limit of 265lbs. 265lbs+ / Men’s Super-Heavyweight medalists: Gold: Charbel Diab (Lebanon) Silver: Marcin Kalata (Poland) Bronze: Damian Visenjak (Austria), Dwain Meredith (South Africa) For the full list of #2016IMMAFWorlds medalists across 13 weight divisions, click HERE. Written by IMMAF.org lead writer and website manager, Jorden Curran Photos by Jorden Curran]]>
