WOMEN’S ATOMWEIGHT & MEN’S STRAWWEIGHT
The International Mixed Martial Arts Federation Australia (IMMAFA) has announced the introduction of two new IMMAF tournament weight categories for the 2018 IMMAF Oceania Open Championships – Women’s Atomweight(47.6kg/105 lb) and Men’s Strawweight (52.2 kg/ 115 lbs).
The inaugural IMMAF Oceania Open Championships is set to take place at the Arnold Sports Festival in Melbourne from 16 to 18 March at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre and will be streamed live internationally.
IMMAF’s nation vs nation, Amateur MMA tournament has historically spanned 14 weight categories, from Strawweight to Lightweight for women, and Flyweight to Super Heavyweight for men. The continuation of the categories for other 2018 IMMAF tournaments will be subject to demand.
Commenting on the new additions to the divisions, IMMAF Board Director, Stewart Brain of Australia, said:
“The introduction of new weight categories reflects the growth of IMMAF and increase in competitors across IMMAF competitions. While IMMAFA welcomes Oceanian national teams, we are expecting to attract a wider spread of teams and athletes from around the globe to Melbourne for the Oceania Open. We particularly anticipate the participation of talent from neighbouring Asia, which has solid representation in the lighter weight categories. The extra divisions will increase athlete safety in ensuring that lighter competitors aren’t forced to compete above their weight class and are aimed to encourage their taking part.”
Competitor registration for the 2018 IMMAF Oceania Open Championships is due to open in January. Any interested athletes should contact their National Federation.
For information about IMMAFA visit: http://www.immafa.org.au/
