2021 IMMAF Youth MMA World Championships

Athletes List by Nation
Athletes List by Division
Schedule & Results
Tournament Brackets
Medallists

The 2021 IMMAF Youth MMA Championships for twelve to eighteen-year-olds takes place in Sofia, Bulgaria at the EFE Marinela Hotel from 29 July – 1 August.

The International Mixed Martial Arts Federation’s second instalment of its under -18s tournament takes place without an audience in order to create a safe environment for international participants with respect to the global pandemic. All participants have been tested for COVID-19 on arrival before entering the competition ‘bubble’.

Supporters instead will be able to watch the full three days of the youth competition, streamed live for the first time from 30 July – 1 August.

You can watch the event LIVE via IMMAF TV at this link.

You will also find the latest championship news here.

What nations will be competing?

The Bulgarian capital city will see 24 nations from all corners of the globe bring an approximate number of around 369 athletes to the event. The competing nations are:
Albania, Armenia, Australia, Bahrain, Bulgaria (Hosts), Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Lithuania, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Ukraine and USA.

What time will the competition start?

Competition will be scheduled to begin at 10am (local time) on:
 
• Friday, 30^th July
• Saturday, 31^st July
• Sunday, August 1^st

How can I follow the event?

If you’re unable to watch the event on IMMAF TV, then follow IMMAF on our social media channels for tournaments news:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram

ABOUT YOUTH COMPETITION RULES

IMMAF Youth MMA rule sets disallow strikes head strikes for under 18s and are modified from the IMMAF Amateur MMA Rules with regards to the physiological development of the following three age categories, as advised by IMMAF’s expert medical, coaching and regulatory committees:

• IMMAF Youth A 16-17s (U18)
• IMMAF Youth B 14-15s (U16)
• IMMAF Youth C 12-13s (U14)

View the full Mixed Martial Arts Unified Rules for Youth Competition here

This year, IMMAF has additionally introduced mandatory grading requirements as a condition of entry for competitors.

“The youth are the future and therefore a priority focus at IMMAF. We were stunned at the world’s first Youth World MMA Championships not only by the uptake, but also at the impressive skill level that showed longevity of training and experience among the youths. This demonstrated demand for good governance, development structures and safe competition opportunities for the hidden 12s – 18s age groups already participating in MMA world over.

“It is for the younger generation that we continue to fight for the official recognition of MMA to safeguard them in the sport and give them the same rights as participants of other disciplines. I’m excited that following the long pause on competition caused by the pandemic, we can now return again with our Youth Championships, providing the opportunity for young people to compete once again in well governed MMA on an international platform.” – IMMAF President Kerrith Brown