By Ross Patterson
The Women’s Atomweight division promises to be extremely competitive, with multiple potential gold medallists.
Poland’s Magdalena Czaban will be a huge favourite for gold. The 22-year-old is the 2021 and 2019 Atomweight European gold medallist, as well as IMMAF Junior World Champion. She’s an incredibly aggressive mixed martial artist, and will undoubtedly be looking to secure a Senior World Championship gold in Abu Dhabi.
However, looking to defeat Czaban (as she did when they met in 2020) is Sweden’s Bezhan Mahmudi. The 2019 Atomweight World Champion will be looking for her second gold medal on the biggest stage in amateur mixed martial arts. She also won the Oceana Atomweight gold, defeating Czaban via unanimous decision. The 27-year-old will be feeling confident of a podium finish.
Finland’s Jenna Horto is another athlete with gold medal potential. Highly experienced, Horto is the 2018 European Champion, 2018 World bronze medallist, 2019 European bronze winner, and the 2021 European silver medallist (losing in the final to Czaban). She will be vying for a podium position to add to her already impressive record.
Making her debut in the Atomweight division is Kazakhstan’s Nurzhamal Sadykova. As the 2018 Strawweight bronze medallist, 2019 Asian Strawweight silver medallist and 2021 European Strawweight bronze medallist, her first outing at Atomweight will be fascinating. Will she finally win a gold medal, or will the smaller women be too fast for her?
Ireland has two strong entries to the Atomweight division – Nadine Abbott-Bisset, and Caitlyn Hadfield. Abbott-Bisset is the 2019 Atomweight silver medallist and 2019 Junior World silver medallist (she lost in the final to Czaban). Hadfield won bronze in the Strawweight division at the 2021 Prague World Cup. Both women will be eyeing a spot on the World Championship podium.
So it’s all to play for in the Women’s 47kg division. Will Czaban assert herself as the greatest Atomweight in the world? Could Sweden’s Mahmudi get the better of Czaban once again and claim the top spot? Or will a new MMA Queen rise and claim the gold medal? Atomweight could prove to be the most exciting division of all, come January 24th.
The rescheduled 2021 IMMAF World Championships will be streamed live from Abu Dhabi at immaf.tv from 24 to 29 January 2022. All the information regarding the event can be found on My Next Match.
Full list of Atomweight Competitors:
Bezhan Mahmudi – Sweden
Caitlyn Hadfield – Northern Ireland
Jenitza Ramos – Puerto Rico
Jenna Horto – Finland
Magdalena Czaban – Poland
Nadine Abbott Bissett – Ireland
Nurzhamal Sadykova – Kazakhstan
Tuymegul Zhunys – Kazakhstan
Vera Buga – RMMAU
Vridhi Kumari – India
Yana Markova – RMMAU
