Issue 151

February 2017

Since the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) held its inaugural World Amateur MMA Championships in 2014, its competitions have provided a springboard for athletes. The top performers are destined to compete for some the world’s most renowned promotions.

The international competition experience that IMMAF’s events offer athletes from its 60 member nations is something new. Opponents can’t be picked and chosen.

There’s no way to pad records. Entrants are faced with real, tough, competitive fights. No one is going to roll over because they’re just there to make a quick buck. Everyone is there to win and claim a title.

These facts aren’t lost on professional matchmakers. The best organizations around the world have targeted IMMAF champions to bring some prestige and draw fans to their events.

But it’s not just the big hitters on the regional scene that are cashing in on their talents. Bellator, One Championship and even the UFC have already welcomed some of the standout IMMAF alumni – and that number is growing.

Here's some of the amateur code’s most successful products...

THE ITALIAN STALLION - ALESSIO DI CHIRICO

IMMAF Worlds gold medallist,

Nationality: Italian,

Team: Hung Mun MMA,

Pro record: 12-3-0.

Alessio Di Chirico became the first IMMAF World Championships gold medalist to progress to the UFC when he made his debut in April’s Fight Night 86 in Croatia. And he followed that up by securing his first Octagon victory in Canada.

His progress is more surprising because of his accidental entry into the world of MMA.

Italy’s national team coach, Fabio Ciolli, who founded the Hung Mun MMA Studio in Rome a decade ago, remembers the day Di Chirico found his way to his gym via a friend.

“He was an American football player and started training to lose some weight. I had trained a friend of his and he wanted to try MMA for fitness. A few months later he was totally involved in the game.”

The 27-year-old won the FIGMMA Italian National Amateur Championships in 2011 and enjoyed early success under the banner of local amateur show Storm.

But it was his IMMAF World Championship victory that proved the pivotal step.

After finishing on top of the podium in the light heavyweight division of the inaugural competition in 2014, Di Chirico’s life changed.

“An amateur background is vital to a successful pro career. When Alessio won the gold medal in the Worlds a lot of talent scouts became interested in him,” says Ciolli.

“When Alessio won the IMMAF World Championship he gained more self-confidence. He experienced the taste of international competition in the world’s fighting capital.

Everything in Vegas during Fight Week was linked with UFC, whether it be directly or indirectly. For a guy with the ambition of becoming a high-level fighter, it was a real boost.”

GET SHORTY - JOSE TORRES

Two-time IMMAF,

Worlds gold medallist,

Nationality: American,

Team: KHK Fight Team,

Pro record: 8-1-0.

The most decorated amateur fighter in history, with a 25-1 record and IMMAF World Championship triumphs in both 2014 and 2015, Jose Torres is surging towards the Octagon.

‘Shorty’s martial arts background began when he was four-years-old. He and his mother would travel the US for karate competitions. At the age of 16, he met Master Bob Schirmer of Combat-Do in Cicero, Illinois. Schirmer also serves as head coach of the USA National Amateur MMA team under the US MMA Federation.

“I started wrestling when I was 14,” Torres recalls. “I wasn’t too good of a wrestler until my senior year when I really started to focus on it. I met Master Bob when I was 16 and started MMA when I was 18. I won my first Muay Thai championship then started to get local MMA championships and doing different states in the US.

I won the UMMAF Nationals, the IMMAF Worlds and then I did it all again, both Nationals and Worlds.”

Most fighters would have stopped at their first title and jumped straight into the pro ranks in search of enough wins to catch the attention of the UFC matchmakers.

But one more year and another tournament was invaluable.

“There were all different styles,” adds Torres. “I’m glad I was able to get that experience. As an amateur, it’s a nice thing to have. I felt ready to go pro, but Master Bob told me to stay amateur another year, and it was worth it.”

Following the acquisition of a second gold medal, Torres was recruited by Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa’s Bahrain-based stable KHK, alongside the likes of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Frankie Edgar.

His high profile earned through unprecedented amateur success resulted in interest from Titan FC – one of the top feeder promotions for the UFC.

After just three fights, he had the chance to win its interim flyweight championship. He took it.

Demetrious Johnson has an iron grip on every 125lb record right now, but if Torres continues at this pace, this could be the man to take them all.

EURO GOLD TO ELITE SHOW - SUNNA RANNVEIG

Davidsdottir is the standout female product of Iceland’s famed Mjolnir facility, home to Gunnar Nelson and mat regular Conor McGregor. Striking IMMAF gold was the catalyst she needed to begin her career.

Representing Iceland at the 2015 European Open Championships in Birmingham, UK, the 31-year-old won the 125lb bracket with a TKO win over Swedish Worlds silver medalist Anja Saxmark in the final.

Victory over such accomplished competition was all she needed to know it was time to pursue a professional career.

“Turning pro has been an ambition of mine since I entered a combat gym for the first time,” she says. “I instantly knew that this was it. I fell in love with combat sports and have loved every minute of it.”

‘Tsunami’s impressive performances in the international amateur ranks caught the eye of Shannon Knapp, president of Invicta FC. She was her nation’s first fighter to compete in the world’s leading women’s promotion and she made a successful debut in Kansas City, Missouri.

“Signing a contract with a big organization like Invicta is a huge accomplishment and something I still have to pinch myself to check,” Davidsdottir adds.

“This is recognition of the hard work, the blood, sweat and tears that I have put into training, competing and being within the sport. Hard work pays off.”

SOLID SILVER - ALEX MARTINEZ

Two-time IMMAF,

Worlds silver medallist,

Nationality: Canadian-Paraguayan,

Team: Champion Gym,

Pro record: 6-0-0.

Alex Martinez earned silver at both the 2015 and 2016 IMMAF World Championships. Both finals provided a platform for one of the most memorable rivalries ever seen in amateur MMA.

On each occasion, Martinez went the distance with two-time welterweight champion Will Starks. He’s using that experience to excel on the next level.

Born in Paraguay, Martinez moved to Canada aged 14. He joined Champion Gym in Alberta at 18 and has developed a lengthy 15-4 amateur record, with regional bouts dating back to 2013.

He won the Canadian Combat Alliance (CCA) National Championships in 2015 and 2016 which qualified him for the IMMAF World Championships.

He was one of the competition’s most consistent performers, only stumbling at the final hurdle against an outstanding competitor. His campaigns may both have ended in disappointment, but he can still take plenty of positives from his efforts:

“Overall it gave me confidence and lots of experience, as you get to fight more times and get to go through rough fights. Having a title as second best in the world also helps a lot with exposure.

“I decided to compete again in 2016 because I knew I needed some more fights before turning pro, but at the same time couldn’t find opponents that were willing to fight me. Fighting in the nationals and Worlds there’s no need for an arrangement; they must fight you unless they quit the tournament.”

If it’s true that you learn more from a loss than a win, Martinez has received a higher education that has already taught him enough to cruise to his first professional victory.