The International MMA Federation (IMMAF) has announced that the Kingdom of Bahrain will play host to the inaugural World Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Teams Championship, set to take place between December 1- 5. Bahrain is fast becoming one of the central hubs of amateur MMA, with the Gulf state playing host to last three IMMAF World Championships.
The announcement was made this past weekend at a press conference in the Bahrain National Stadium in Isa Town.
“This year, IMMAF is introducing a new championship for the teams, with the aim of continuing efforts to support the development and progress of this sport. We announce in this conference that the Kingdom of Bahrain is hosting and organizing the first edition of this championship, as we reiterate our confidence in Bahrain to achieve renewed success at the level of organizing the IMMAF championships,” said IMMAF president Kerrith Brown.
The amateur competition will consist of 16 male and eight female teams. The teams will each represent their home nation, and the winners of both the male and female competitions will be those teams who rack up the most wins throughout the tournament.
A total prize-money pool of USD360,000 will be shared among the winning teams, with the higher placed teams receiving a greater payout.
The IMMAF has been working hard over the past few years to grow amateur MMA in the hope it make it into the Olympics. If this were to happen, it would mean that amateur MMA fighters would have a higher chance of receiving funding from their national sporting bodies, who tend to favor Olympic sports when shelling out cash.