Tag Archives: WMMA

Move turns ideas into results Mexico vs. Colombia competition Provides platform for athletes

MONTE CARLO, Monaco (November 1, 2016)- The Mexican MMA Commission (COMEXAMM) and Colombian MMA Federation (FECODEAMM), respectively led by Hector Molina and Jaime Arturo Pena, have partnered to provide a bi-national undercard in lieu of the recent cancellation of the inaugural World MMA Association (WMMAA) Pan-American Division Championships due to problems associated with the hosting Chile Federation.
The Mexico vs. Colombia fights will be on the undercard of the November 18th Combato Extremo event, promoted by Ubaldo Marroquin, at Auditorio National, Monterrey, Mexico.  Mexican and Colombian fighters who were supposed to compete in the aforementioned WMMAA Pan-American Division Championships can now have the opportunity to be in action.
Molina has been instrumental in WMMAA Pan-American Division development since 2014 as president of the Mexican Commission of MMA, as well as the Pan-American Director of the Regulatory Committee.
“That first year,” Molina said, “we are focused on identifying the best parts of he WMMAA regulatory programs – its people, programs, systems and processes – then quickly and effectively integrating these parts into a stronger centralized continental organization partner with improved, more useful, more impactful systems and resources.  When you bring together multiple organizations there are real differences that need to be addressed, including cultural, and business operations, as well as geographic differences.”
Molina and his leadership team studied the WMMAA systems, maintained what successfully worked, and improved other aspects to build a new network.  They retained top talent and aligned them with COMEXAMM’s bold culture, also adding some new people in areas perceived as non-optical to support business.  Ultimately, Molina bold a team that embraced core values and visions for regulatory that was instilled in him by mentors and years of experience.
“We started with the premise that we hire the best people in the industry; that we train them well, and offer them cutting-edge resources and skills.  We empower our people to make smart decisions and, most importantly, we trust our people key members like Gustavo Cantu.  This trust is critical to our success.  When we empower and trust people, they want to take ownership, not only for results, but for how we get our results.”
One of Molina’s first accomplishments at WMMAA has been the restructuring and realignment of the rules and regulations committee to mirror the company’s operating model.  The Continental Rules and Regulations Committee was built on the principle guard railing the unstoppable growth of MMA and given the dynamic nature of WMMAA.
“Moves like these, from leaders like Hector Molina, are the ones that many organization would dream about in moments of crisis,” WMMAA Pan-American Division president Tomas Yu remarked, “giving a new definition to what it means to be part of the WMMAA family.”
The WMMAA Pan-American Division is a leader of a new industry category – growth Federation – powered by a committee to growth, focusing on MMA as a sport area leadership, in addition to dedication to operational excellence, investment in research and development innovation, and a strong focus on its members.
To maintain its position as an industry leader, WMMAA Pan-American Division practices what it calls, “Living Bold.” This culture embraces five principles: building bridges, powering ideas, acting fast, driving results, and always doing what is right.  Molina and his team create regulatory strategies, systems, and programs that embody this culture.
“As opposed to being a back-room function that primarily creates policies and performs audits, my teams are aligned with the business units and are in the field with them daily,” Molina explained.  “We advise in real time and proactively collaborate in strategy and planning meetings so our business can come up with innovative ideas, act fast, and quickly drive results.”
“My team knows that I am a bit of a regulatory geek when it comes to our work.  It’s extremely exciting from a strategic perspective because it allows us to become a more valuable partner to the colleagues who run the business.  We’ve always had strong, productive and active strategies.  And we always will!  By continuously challenging the status quo, asking ourselves how we can do things differently, and ultimately advancing our regulatory program, we will make a meaningful contribution to helping the WMMAA be bold, act fast and power ideas.”
INFORMATION:
Twitter:  @theWMMAA
Instagram: @worldmmaa

2016 World MMA Championships November 26-27 in Macau

 

MONTE CARLO, Monaco (October 28, 2016)- World Mixed Martial Arts Association (WMMAA) president Vadim Finkelchtein has formally announced that the 2016 World MMA Championships will be held November 26-27 in Macau, China.
“The recent European MMA Championships went very well,” Finkelchtein said. “The Russian National Team once again demonstrated the highest results of competition. In Russia, the fighters are real strong fighters, who repeatedly prove their highest level at the European and World Championships, winning a very difficult competition. The bar has been set significantly high. We have seen athletes from Germany, Ukraine, and Belarus participating at these events. Ukrainians are no longer that far behind the Russians and German fighters have become much stronger in a relatively short time. In addition to The Championships, we held a judicial seminar, where we discussed many important issues regarding the development of our sport. Overall, I think everything was great.
“We’re looking forward to the World MMA Championship in Macau on November 26-27. We expect the participation of athletes to represent 40 to 50 countries around the world. Many have already applied; despite the long distance they must travel to fight. The World MMA Championship will be held at a new venue in Macao Studio City. This is a huge, new complex that is entirely covered in marble with construction costs reaching about $3 billion. I have examined it and the scope of the building is stunning.
“Now, we can say that the championship will have a lot of representatives from Latin America, Asia and Europe. The African region is under developed right now, so only a few countries are participating from there, but Australia and New Zealand are competing. We expect spectacular, competitive fights. We will also be arranging the next WMMAA Congress, where a lot of MMA issues relative to children and women will be discussed. We will decide what countries will host the European, Asian and World MMA Championships next year, as well as create a judicial committee. We shall discuss the time of the mandatory reference date of sport by each country, considering all the athletes, and then fix it. We will solve the issue of holding seminars that are mandatory for coaches, judges and medical specialists in each country. We are still a relatively young organization, so there are still shortcomings. But we are moving forward and working hard to improve.”
INFORMATION:
Twitter:  @theWMMAA
Instagram: @worldmmaa

FAAMM on a roll as new WMMMA Argentina 

 

(L-R) – WMMAA Argentina president Diego Fernandez &
WMMAA Pan-American Division president Tomas Yu
MONTE CARLO, Monaco (October 27, 2016)- The future of the new World MMA Association (WMMAA) Argentina is bright with unlimited opportunities for future growth, largely due to Argentina’s youths continuing to drive increased consumption of healthier lifestyles.
FAAMM, the Argentinean MMA Federation, restructured its organization under the leadership of president Diego Fernandez to earn WMMAA Pan-American Division’s fastest growing federation to date.
“One of my main objectives was to share the organization’s (FAAMA) story with the government and the private sector community to bring its competitive advantages to light,” Fernandez explained in an interview with ENLACE.  “I also leveraged the WMMAA skills and resources to help guide the due diligence and restructing to emerge with the proudly earned name, WMMAA ARGENTINA.
“Transforming the organization from an association to a federation and now known to the world as WMMAA Argentina was the largest progressive step we’ve completed to date in the organization’s history.  The business model as the new WMMAA Argentina is very straightforward:  our job to help our nation’s athletes.”
The new Argentina has a prominent footprint with many qualified board members.  The new WMMAA Argentina is well positioned to offer customized solutions that drive increased value, developed from a mere structure provider into a services and solutions organization for the sport in all aspects.
WMMAA Argentina has solid reporting, industry-leading analytics and repeatable methodologies, plus hard-working members, collogues and full support from the WMMAA Pan-American Division.
INFORMATION:
Twitter:  @theWMMAA
Instagram: @worldmmaa

Pan-American Championship Official Promo

History will be made October 7-9 when Chile hosts the inaugural World Mixed Martial Arts Association (WMMAA) Pan-American Championship – CHILE 2016 — in Santiago.

 

Initiative on MMA as a sport will build on the well-earned reputation of previous martial arts history in terms of addressing, sharing and discussing significant developments and social advancements that will impact the future of MMA:

 

 

FITE TV announces television carriage deal for the WMMAA Pan-American Division Championships October 8-9 in Chile

             
Go to FITE TV interview with host Jim “J.R.” Ross and
WMMAA Pan-American Division president Tomas Yu
NEW YORK, NY  (August 26, 2016) — FITE TV, in conjunction with the World MMA Association (WMMAA), announced today that it will be broadcasting the inaugural WMMAA Pan-American Division Championships live on FITE TV starting with the preliminary matches Saturday, October 8, and the final Sunday October 9, 2016.
FITE is a television network, via a downloadable app, that specializes in all things fighting, including boxing, wrestling, MMA and Martial Arts.  FITE is a free app that is available for download at the Google Play or iTunes app stores.
On Oct. 8-9, the WMMAA is bringing the top amateur MMA competitors from around the world to Santiago, Chile for a two-day competition.  More than 12 countries will be represented in eight different weight classes (6 men, 2 women classes).  Michelle Bachelet, the President of Chile, is slated to participate in the opening ceremonies and preside over the closing of the event.  In addition to the in-ring MMA competition, the weekend will feature a fitness expo and Ring Girl Latina 2016 pageant.  As of today, 12 countries have committed to participating in the event, including the United States, Mexico, Cuba, Aruba, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Colombia, Chile, Paraguay, Argentina, Bolivia, and Brazil.
“We are thrilled to be able to offer free viewing of one of the most anticipated MMA events in the Pan-American region each year on the innovative FITE TV app,” WMMAA Pan-American Division President Tomas Yu commented.  “Now, if you are not able to be at the event to watch the action live, you can now see it anywhere in the world.”
 “With the addition of such a prestigious event to FITE TV, we continue to increase the diversity of the combat fighting programming, now offered live and on a VOD basis on the app,” said Michael Weber, Senior Vice President of Marketing for FITE.  “It is a honor to work with MMA professionals such as Tomas Yu and his team who continue to increase the visibility of their organization worldwide.”
The television programming schedule and additional participating countries will be announced in the immediate future.
About FITE TV: FITE TV is a product of Flipps Media and is a free mobile app that is a one-stop shop for viewing all sports within the fighting discipline globally including MMA, professional wrestling, boxing, and traditional martial arts. With only access to a smartphone and a connected TV, with the FITE app, viewers can watch live events, on-demand programming, interviews and fighting sports related movies and documentaries on the big TV screen.  More information can be found at www.fite.tv.
 
About Flipps Media: Flipps delivers on-demand entertainment to any nearby connected TV from your mobile device without any additional hardware. The company has offices in San Mateo, New York and Sofia, Bulgaria and is backed by Tim Draper, Earlybird Venture Capital, Aslanoba Capital and LAUNCHub. Flipps’ patented technology immediately works with over 350+ million connected TVs and is compatible with over 7,000 manufacturer models requiring no set up, no pairing devices, no cables, no dongles and no set top box. The Flipps mobile application is free and available on iTunes and Google Play. More information can be found at www.flipps.com.
About WMMAA: The goal of the World MMA Association is to provide unbiased structure and guardrail the growth of MMA as the official world governing body for Mixed Martial Arts.  A non-profit organization founded in 2012, WMMAA is on a mission to develop a standardized and regulated organization, including competition, training, officiating, testing and growth when necessary.  More than 50 countries have been granted WMMAA membership.

History making WMMAA Pan-American Championship Oct. 7-9 in Santiago, Chile

MONTE CARLO, Monaco (August 18, 2016)- History will be made October 7-9 when Chile hosts the inaugural World Mixed Martial Arts Association (WMMAA) Pan-American Championship – CHILE 2016 — in Santiago.
Initiative on MMA as a sport will build on the well-earned reputation of previous martial arts history in terms of addressing, sharing and discussing significant developments and social advancements that will impact the future of MMA.
CHILE 2006 attendees will have an opportunity to receive unique and powerful insights into the new era of MMA.
The WMMAA Pan-American Division is known for its broad, multi-disciplinary approach and stellar lineup “The primary goal of CHILE 2016 is to make a social impact, creating awareness around the powerful influence of martial arts among youths,,” said Tomas Yu, President of the WMMAA Pan-American Division, “as well as to provide a healthy platform for sport, tourism and economic development as a united front.  Its collegiate environment promises to foster debate, discussion and collaboration.”
Chile 2016 will be a lifetime experience for all with special guests as Chile PresidentMichelle Bachelete and WMMAA honorary president Fedor Emilianenko, arguably the greatest MMA fighter of all-time.
Local Organizing Committee Chairman Alberto Maturana and his committee members look forward to welcoming everyone to Santiago to experience history in the making for the sport of MMA. Together with the WMMAA Pan-American Executive Board, they are working tirelessly to bring this important event to Santiago for the continental athletes, promoters, coaches, businesses, and tourism.  The honorary panel of individuals who are making the inaugural WMMAA Pan-American Championship – CHILE 2016 a reality include the following:
 
WMMAA Pan-American President – Tomas Yu
 
WMMAA Chile President – Alberto Maturana
Collaboration and Advocacy – Eric Castaños
National Press – Yenifer Marquez
International Press – Edgar Campos
EXPO MMA – Jose Antonio Urrutia
International Multi-Media – Carlos Fourzan
 
National Executive Production – Felipe Concha
Publicist – Bob Trieger
Organization Membership – Christian Parra
Officials Certification & Accreditation – Hector Molina
Medical – Dr. Justo Pavia
Health Training and Education – Curt Chavez
Special Interest Group – Susan Murphy
Ring Girl Latina – Pablo Cortes
Combat Sports Administration Masters Degree – Ivan Hinojosa
Diseño – Pedro Cabrera
INFORMATION:
Twitter:  @theWMMAA
Instagram: @worldmmaa

Kazakhstan dominates World MMA Association 2016 Asian Championships

 
 

MONTE CARLO, Monaco (August 12, 2016)- Kazakhstan dominated the recent second annual World Mixed Martial Arts Association (WMMAA) Asian Championships, capturing top honors in five of seven  weight classes, at the Hwasoon Culture and Sports Center in the Republic of South Korea.
Individual Kazak winners were bantamweight Azama Markabayev, featherweight Ismail Geroyev, welterweight Goyti Dazaev, light heavyweight Eerkinbek Injel and heavyweight Mohmad Sulimanov. The other 2016 individual champions areKyrgyzstan lightweight Ilias Chyngyzbek Uulu and Uzbekistan middleweightNursulton Ruziboev.
Individual team competition was held in accordance with the “Official Rules of Mixed Martial Arts Competition, subject to WMMAA approval. Including revisions, additions and clarifications of certain clauses.  Matches were held in accordance with the Olympic system including two third-places in each of the seven weight divisions.
Following Kazakhstan in the final team standings were, in order, South Korea and Kyrgyzstan.  See below:
Final Team Standings
               1st       2nd      3rd      4th        5th       6th       7th       8th        Total 
Kazakhstan     5          2          0          0          0          0          0          0            66
South Korea    0          1          7          0          2          0          0          0            58
Kyrgyzstan      1          3          2          0          0          1          0          0            49
Uzbekistan      1          0          3          0          1          0          0          0            32
Tajikistan          0          1          1          0          1          1          0          0            21
 China               0          0          1          0          2          1          1          0            19
Team scoring was awarded by the maximum amount of points scored by individual team members on the following basis:  1st – 10, 2nd – 8, 3rd – 6, 4th – 5, 5th – 4, 6th – 3, 7th – 2, 8th – 1
2016 WMMAA ASIAN CHAMPIONSHIP OFFICIAL RESULTS
Click here to view the action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAYR04B4Dvc
BANTAMWEIGHTS (134 ½ LBS. / -61.2 KG):
1. Azama Markabayev (Kazakhstan)
2. Alimarden Abdykaarov (Kyrgyzstan)
3. Lee Jongkwan (South Korea)
3. Rustam Magdiev (Uzbekistan)
FEATHERWEIGHTS (145 LBS. / -65.8 KG):
1. Ismail Geroyev (Kazakhstan)
2. Alisher Garibshoev (Tajikistan)
3. Kim Jongkwan (South Korea)
3. Yang Jihwan (South Korea)
LIGHTWEIGHTS (154 ½ LBS. / -70.3 KG):
1. Ilisas Chyngyzbek Uulu (Kyrgyzstan)
2. Neimat Asadov (Kazakhstan)
3. Alihon Khasanov (Uzbekistan)
3. Jang Ikhwan (South Korea)
WELTERWEIGHTS (169 ½ LBS. / -77.1 KG):
1. Goyti Dazaev (Kazakhstan)
2. Mavlonzhon Balataev (Kyrgyzstan)
3. Im Jin Yong (South Korea)
3. Jiang Tao (China)
MIDDLEWEIGHTS (185 LBS. / -84.0 KG):
1. Nursulton Ruziboev (Uzbekistan)
2. Baurzhan Kuanyshbayev (Kazakhstan)
3. Tologon Rakhmanberdi Uulu (Kyrgyzstan)
3. Kim Yi Sak (South Korea)
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS (205 LBS. / -93.0 KG):
1. Erkinbek Injel (Kazakhstan)
2. Kwak Yun Sub (South Korea)
3. Dilovar Nasyrov (Tajikistan)
3. Daniiar Zarylbek Uulu (Kyrgyzstan)
HEAVYWEIGHTS (+205 LBS. / +93.0 KG):
1. Mohmad Sulimanov (Kazakhstan)
2. Maksat Musabaev (Kyrgyzstan)
3. Amin Ergashev (Uzbekistan)
4. Kim Changhee (South Korea)
All individual first-place winners were awarded special championship belts and medals, second and third-place finishers received a medal and certificate. Teams that finished among the top three in the final standings were awarded cups and certificates.
Schedule of Major 2016 MMA Events
Sept. 14-16 – European MMA Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia
Oct. 7-9 – Inaugural Pan-American Championships in Santiago, Chile
Oct. 20-21 – MMM Championships in Saint Petersburg, Russia
INFORMATION:
Twitter:  @theWMMAA
Instagram: @worldmmaa

WMMAA terminates head of judges Radmir Gabdullin

MONTE CARLO, Monaco(July 20, 2016)- The World MMA Association (WMMAA) has terminated its Head of Judges, Radmir Gabdullin, due to his imprudence, inexperience, and technical inability to evaluate Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) in the professional sector.
 
Regarding recent statements that he recently made in the Russian press, Gabdullin expressed himself disrespectfully to other colleague judges, WMMAA Board member Alexander Engelhardt and the Association itself, as Worldwide WMMAA President Vadim Finkelchtein expressed, “One of the key factors of MMA is respect. This is a line we should and can never cross. That being said, it leaves me no other choice than to release Radmir Gabdullin from his function. We also severely advise that the Russian MMA Union do the same. (The Russian MMA Union is a full member of the World MMA Union.)
“We are working hard on standardizing in all countries of the world, all continents, in terms of Rules, Regulation and Referees committees, including anti-doping.We are a real worldwide organization and therefore we also have to reflect this in all of the WMMAA committees.  Also, Russia will be, of course, represented in these as part of the WMMAA. More information will follow soon.”
Finkelchtein, who as WMMAA president reserves any other actions towards the associate judge, noted that, during the November 4-6WMMAA Congress in Macau, China, a board of judges will be discussed and created.
Schedule of Major 2016 MMA Events
 
Aug.3-8 – Asian MMA Championship in Hwasun, South Korea
Sept. 14-16 – European MMA Championship in Tbilisi, Georgia
Oct. 7-9 – Inaugural Pan-American Championships in Santiago, Chile
Nov. 18-20 – World MMM Championship in Macau, China
Information
Twitter:  @theWMMAA

WMMAA appeal review results in draw for June 17th Emelianenko vs. Maldonado fight

 

MONTE CARLO, Monaco(July 15, 2016)- The World Mixed Martial Arts Association (WMMAA) has issued an announcement regarding an appeal recently filed by Stefano Sartori, manager of Brazilian fighter Fabio Maldonado, to reassess the result of his June 17th fight with Fedor Emelianenko, which headlined Fight Nights Global 50 in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
WMMAA General Secretary & Senior Vice President Alexander Engelhardt (pictured to left) has declared that Emelianenko vs. Maldonado, which was originally ruled a majority decision victory in favor of Emeliananko, officially be changed to a draw.
Team Malondado’s appeal to the WMMAA was filed claiming a conflict of interest because all of the judges are employed by the Russian MMA Union, of which Emelianenko serves as president, as well as for the initial appeal to the Russian MMA Union, a sanctioned WMMAA member, being unjustly rejected by the head jury.
Engelhardt was appointed by WMMAA present Vadim Finkelchetein to handle the appeal procedure.  A committee was formed comprised of Engelhardt, Hector Molina (Mexico), Chairman of the Rules, Regulations and Referee Committee; Ino Alberga (The Netherlands), Member of the Rules, Regulations and Referee Committee; Poalo Biotti (Italy), Chairman Ethics and Disciplinary Committee; Zaya Zaya (Australia), Member Professional Referee Committee.
In addition, independent judge Marco Broersen (The Netherlands), Chairman of Professional Referee Committee and Ethics and Disciplinary Committee, was responsible for selecting an independent judges’ panel to reassess the original result.  The three-judges were Youri Lamoureux (Canada), Lukasz Bosacki(Poland) and Alexey Zemskov (Russia).
Each of the three aforementioned judges scored the first round in favor of Emelianenko, 10-8, and the second and third rounds for Maldonado, 10-9 each, resulting in a 28-28 draw.
The appeal procedure was divided into two parts for review in terms of whether the procedural mistakes related to the fight were made and that an independent international judges’ panel had to review the fight.
The WMMAA came to the conclusion that the appeal was legitimate and it was accepted due to the fact one of the fighters, Emelianenko, as President of the Russian MMA Union, and Head of Judges, Radmir Gabdullin, had a working relationship that could potentially affect the judgmental decisions.  The WMMAA made it clear that it wasn’t saying the aforementioned relationship led to a different outcome of the result, just that it was an unfortunate choice.
Additionally, the WMMAA ruled that initially refusing the appeal was a mistake based on WMMAA amateur rules as Emelianenko vs. Maldonado was conducted under WMMAA rules.
The appeal decision that resulted in the result being changed to “Unanimous Draw” was accepted by the WMMAA, which informed Fight Nights, the promoter of Emelianko vs. Maldonado, Emelianenko, Sartori and the Russian MMA Union of its decision, and that it official had closed the appeal.
Schedule of Major 2016 MMA Events
 
Aug.3-8 – Asian MMA Championship in Hwasun, South Korea
Sept. 14-16 – European MMA Championship in Tbilisi, Georgia
Oct. 7-9 – Inaugural Pan-American Championships in Santiago, Chile
Nov. 18-20 – World MMM Championship in Macau, China
Information
Twitter:  @theWMMAA
Instagram: @worldmmaa

Team Maldonado files WMMAA appeal to reassess result of June 17th Emelianenko vs.  Maldonado fight in Russia

MONTE CARLO, Monaco (July 4, 2016) — The World Mixed Martial Arts Association (WMMAA) has received an appeal from Stefano Sartori, manager of Brazilian fighter Fabio Maldonado, to reassess the result of his June 17thfight with Fedor Emelianenko, which headlined Fight Nights Global 50 in Saint Petersburgh, Russia.
Emelianenko was awarded a win by majority decision, which Team Malondado has appealed, claiming a conflict of interest because all of the judges are employed by the Russian MMA Union, of which Emelianenko serves as president.
Team Maldonado believes Maldonando should have won the decision, or the fight declared a draw at the very least, in their opinion, as the Brazilian clearly won the first round, 10-8, Emelianenko came back to take the second round, 10-9, and the third round was a toss-up.
Because Russian MMA Union vice president Radmir Gabdullin was the head judge for the aforementioned bout, Team Maldonando feels that a fair judgement regarding its appeal can be rendered only by independent, international judges reviewing the fight.
Team Maldonando has appealed the decision on grounds that there was an obvious conflict of interest in terms of the Russian MMA Union judges and their close association with Fedor, as well as the quality of decisions they rendered.  Rather than appeal the decision to the Russian MMA Union, which they claimed would place Russian judges under intense pressure, Team Maldonando made the appeal directly to the WMMAA because the Russian MMA Union is a sanctioned member of the worldwide sanctioning body WMMAA.
WMMAA president Vadim Finkelchtein has announced the following sequence of actions:
  • WMMAA Secretary General Alexander Engelhardt has been appointed to handle the appeal procedure
  • A group of objective international judges, under the guidance of experienced referee/judge Marco Broersen (Netherlands), to be appointed to assess the Emelianenko-Maldonado fight based on the tape and render an unbiased verdict regarding the fight and work of the judges
  • Temporarily suspend WMMAA head judge Radmir Gabdullin from his position
  • Discuss judges’ work at the next WMMAA Congress, taking into account the pending verdict of the independent commission
Schedule of Major 2016 MMA Events
 
Aug.3-8 – Asian MMA Championship in Hwasun, South Korea
Sept. 14-16 – European MMA Championship in Tbilisi, Georgia
Oct. 7-9 – Inaugural Pan-American Championships in Santiago, Chile
Nov. 18-20 – World MMM Championship in Macau, China
Information
Twitter:  @theWMMAA
Instagram: @worldmmaa