Young mixed martial arts talents from the leading clubs and academies in the UAE took centre stage at the Youth MMA Championship held at Dubai’s Shabab Al Ahli Club on Saturday.

The championship, which featured over 100 youths aged 12-17, showcased an exciting fight card of 62 bouts across various weight and age divisions.

Considered an ideal precursor to the upcoming IMMAF Youth World Championships, the Youth MMA Championship highlighted some of the UAE’s finest up-and-coming athletes.

The performance of these young fighters, representing leading clubs and academies in the UAE, demonstrates their skills and readiness for August’s biggest gathering of young MMA athletes.

Mohammed Bin Dalmouk Al Dhaheri, Board Member of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts Federation, commended the athletes, clubs, and academies for their outstanding performances on Saturday.

“We are immensely proud of our young athletes who displayed extraordinary skills and technical prowess at the Youth MMA Championship today. Events like these are vital for athletes to develop their skills; they offer a competitive environment where they can test and enhance their skills as they compete against strong opponents,” Dhaheri said.

“In August, Abu Dhabi will host the IMMAF Youth World Championships for the third consecutive year. Today’s championship was a key stop in refining our athletes’ talents and preparing them to represent our nation on the global stage,” he added.

Ahmed Al Janahi, a representative of the Dubai Sports Council, praised the UAE Jiu-Jitsu and Martial Arts Federation’s efforts in organising prestigious sporting events.

“Events like Youth MMA Championship enhance the quality of competitions and strengthen the country’s leadership in developing the sport, discovering and honing talent, and establishing a solid foundation of champions,” he said.

“I would like to commend the clubs and academies for their excellent work in attracting top training talent and making optimal investments in youth categories. Expanding the base of practitioners is a significant achievement, leading to the discovery and refinement of talents for promising professional careers,” he added.

Yazan Yaseen, a coach at The Force Sports, added: “Since we have been participating in the last three Youth MMA Championships, I can see growth in terms of organisation as well as performance of athletes.

“By involving more youth athletes, we will create a strong base that can later be part of the National Team, producing a good number of future champions.

“Our team did well today. In the last event held in Al Ain, we had just seven athletes, and in this event, we had 12, almost doubling the number.

“We are expecting good results in terms of their performance in various upcoming events. Events like this help test their skills against the best in the country, and I am hoping some of our team members will make it to the National Team soon,” Yaseen added.

Emirati Hamad Jassim, representing ADMA, won first place in the Youth C (12-13 years old)/ -40kg category. “I can’t tell how happy I am with today’s win. The competitions were tough, but training hard and staying focused helped me win. I’m excited to keep training and compete in more championships to achieve my goals,” he said.

Abdulla Andeez from Shabab AlAhli Dubai who won gold in Youth B (14-15 years old)/ -62kg, added: “I worked hard to prepare for this tournament, focusing on getting stronger and improving my fighting skills.

“Competing here was a great experience, and it will help me get ready for future international competitions.”