Dushanbe, Tajikistan, has been named the host city for the 2022 International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) Asian Championships, which will take place between October 27 and October 30.
The competition’s registration and draw are scheduled for October 26.
“We are delighted to announce the return of the IMMAF’s Asian Championships after a three-year absence,” said IMMAF President Kerrith Brown.
How to watch Live 2022 IMMAF Asian Championships:
The International Mixed Martial Arts Federation will be live streaming its 2022 Asian Championships live and on-demand at immaf.tv, from 27 – 30 October, from 11:00 hrs (UTC+5).
Live Broadcast: 2022 IMMAF Asian Championships (try it free)
All matches from across 4 full days of elite amateur MMA action will be available worldwide from $9.99 for the Championships Pass.
2022 IMMAF Asian Championships Day 2 Preview:
The second day of the 2022 Asian Championships has concluded ahead of tomorrow’s semi-final matches. The action began at 11 a.m. local time, with the quarter-finals for the senior and junior divisions.
In the strawweight division, Kazakhstan’s Yerulan Kabdulov made his tournament debut, edging Uzbekistan’s Odil Sayfiddinov on the judges’ scorecards to advance to tomorrow’s semi-final against India’s Shabarish Ayyanar, who defeated Tajikistan’s Bakhityor Tolibov on a split decision.
The Kayyali brothers secured gold positions after winning their separate bouts; they are the sole Jordan team members at the competition. Hazem demonstrated his grappling prowess early on, kimura-ing India’s Ramston Rodriques in the first round, while Zaki earned his first junior victory since graduating from the juvenile levels.
Ramazan Gitinov of Bahrain extended his winning streak to twenty-four as he seeks his maiden Asian Championships gold medal. The pound-for-pound champion was felled early in the first round by Kazakhstan’s Dmitry Yarkov, but he recovered and dominated the rest of the fight before winning.
The victory sets up a rematch with top Tajikistan prospect Jovidon Mahmudov, who also finished his first battle of the competition. Qosim Sardorov, a fellow countryman, also finished Uzbekistan’s Mirjalol Yusupov, setting up a middleweight battle with Bahrain’s Sultan Omarov.
Munis Muminjonov of Uzbekistan defeated Tajikistan’s Farridun Shonazarov to face Kazakhstan’s Doszhan Kenzhebayev.
Toni Bou Rached and Charbel Farah completed Lebanon’s clean sweep, both winning by unanimous decision.
Mongolia’s Otgonbaatar Boldbaatar made an outstanding IMMAF debut, defeating Tajikistan’s Asomuddin Saidamirzoda to secure the country’s first-ever IMMAF medal.
Rasul Magomedov and Aieza Ramos, both 2021 World gold medalists, will compete tomorrow, as will Tajikistan’s Otabek Rajabov, who returns for the first time since a dismal effort at the World Championships.
Pakistan’s Eman Khan is the last athlete remaining in the competition and could qualify for the final if she defeats Kazakhstan’s Aigerim Torekhanova.
“During this time, IMMAF’s impact on the continent has continued to increase; we have staged three flagship events there, and athlete and grassroots sport development has grown at an exponential rate.”
“As a result, we anticipate that this Championships will set new standards and shatter new records for Amateur MMA in Asia, and we are grateful to President Davron Juraev and the TAJMMAF [Tajikistan MMA Federation] for allowing us to host the event in their nation.”
The IMMAF’s most recent Asian Championships were held in May 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand.
The next edition was confirmed following a conference of the 28-member IMMAF Asian Federations, who founded the Asian MMA Federation.
The IMMAF is attempting to gain Olympic recognition, however, the Olympic Council of Asia has declined to provide such status to a regional association.
Instead, the OCA insisted on remaining neutral on mixed martial arts International Federations, despite the fact that both the IMMAF and the Global Association of Mixed Martial Arts (GAMMA) claim to be the sport’s governing authorities.
The OCA’s Asian Mixed Martial Arts Federation is not exclusively associated with either IMMAF or GAMMA.
Read More: F1 Mexico City Grand Prix Preview, How to watch, TV Channel, Race Schedule and more
