Mr Brown spoke about the efforts of the National Federations in Africa and the progress the sport is making on the continent
The 2024 IMMAF African Championship kicked off yesterday with the first African Youth tournament, marking a major milestone in the development of MMA on the continent. Action from Windhoek, Namibia continues today with the first round of Junior and Senior competition and runs until June 1 with all finals taking place at the Hybrid Fitness Center.
This event follows the historic 2023 IMMAF Africa Championship, where Angola became the first country outside of South Africa to host the continent’s highest-level amateur MMA event.
Following the success in Angola, the next generation of African MMA stars will be in action at the historic event in Namibia and ahead of the event, IMMAF President Kerrith Brown expressed his pride at the progress made by national federations across Africa , despite the numerous challenges they face.
“I am very proud of the national federations, especially in Africa. We all know the difficulties and challenges that must be overcome to prepare athletes for MMA fights. Our development program aims to take athletes to the next level, but this is not without its challenges. Funding remains a critical issue as we are not yet recognized as an international federation. This lack of recognition affects the ability of national federations to secure financial support from sports ministries and national Olympic Committees,” said Brown.
The IMMAF president emphasized the importance of removing these barriers and supporting national federations through reduced fees and sponsorship opportunities.
“We’re going to really break down those barriers and support national federations with lower fees, lower entry fees and other ways we can find sponsorship for athletes,” he added.
Still, Brown is optimistic about the future, noting the transition of several African athletes from amateur to professional level.
Names like Nkosi Ndebele and Eliezer Kubanza have come through the ranks of the IMMAF African Championship and are now global MMA stars at the professional level.
One of the reasons for the growth of MMA in Africa has been the efforts of National Federations in educating people about the sport. Brown emphasized the importance of this and praised the commitment of national federations to training at every level and achieving recognition in their respective countries.
“Educating the government through its various departments to understand this new wave of MMA is essential to ensure that the safety and training of the sport is held to the right values. Countries like South Africa, Angola and now Namibia are pushing the boundaries and showing strong interest in hosting the African leagues. DR Congo, Zambia, Nigeria—these are all federations that are beginning to see the work he has contributed,” he said.
Despite the challenges of securing local sponsorship and government support, Brown praised the efforts of the IMMAF Family in Africa to empower themselves to meet the demands of the sport. He spoke of MMA’s transformative effect on the lives of athletes, providing them with direction, purpose and focus.
“The presidents of the national federations should be proud of the work they are doing for these athletes. They change the lives of these athletes on a daily basis,” Brown said.
Ahead of the 2024 African Championships in Namibia, Brown concluded by expressing his excitement about the level of competition and the continued growth of MMA in Africa.
“We can look forward to a good level of competition this year. The national federations are preparing from the last African championships and the World Championship last year, so the level is increasing year by year. It’s not just the competition. it’s about the ecosystem – from coaches to referees and judges. This year, we are looking to improve from 2023,” he concluded.