That’s it for the 2022 IMMAF World Championships. Fifteen bouts closed out the competition as the senior finals took place in the Stark Arena, Belgrade, Serbia.
History was made as two of the greatest amateur athletes to grace the IMMAF platform, Sabrina De Sousa [Bahrain] and Ramazan Gitinov [Bahrain], said goodbye after becoming three-time world champions. De Sousa is the first woman in IMMAF history to win three world titles, while Gitinov closed out his career on a winning streak of thirty.
Nina Nikolija Milosevic [Serbia] did not compete on the day due to her opponent not being cleared. However, she still got to make the walk and have her hand raised in front of the home crowd after becoming the nation’s first IMMAF world champion and the first athlete to win world gold medals for two nations.
Magdalena Czaban [Poland] added senior Atomweight world gold to her list of accolades by finishing Nora Ochoa [Mexico] to cap off an incredible year for her.
Iris Nhiti [Finland] won Finland’s first world gold medal since 2016 after outpointing Izzy McGaughey in a razor-thin decision in the Lightweight division.
We were treated to haka as New Zealand extended the record run for world champions in IMMAF. Former youth olympian Kasib Murdoch [New Zealand] took in all of the energy from his teammates and brought it into the bout to win gold.
Faine Mesquita Pereira [Australia] was amongst the history makers on the day as she won Australia’s first senior gold medal at the world championships to cap off a big year for the nation in IMMAF.
Muhammad Salohiddinov [Tajikistan] won Tajikistan’s only gold medal of the senior divisions after outpointing Jorge Cobos Marin [Mexico].
Roman Kiziuk [Ukraine] was the nation’s sole medalist in the senior categories, outpointing Roan Crocker [Wales] to win Light-Heavyweight gold.
Rasul Magomedov [Bahrain] was one of eight gold medalists for Bahrain while remaining undefeated in his amateur career by adding a second Heavyweight world gold title after displaying some incredible striking in his bout to get the finish.
Super-Heavyweigjt Rassul Khatayev [Kazakhstan] finally had his moment on top of the podium at a World Championships when he submitted his Helder Manuel [Angola] with a straight foot lock in the opening round of the tournament’s final bout.