London – The International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) is proud to announce the preliminaries of the 2015 IMMAF World Championships of Amateur MMA will be held at the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel and Casino during UFC’s 4th Annual International Fight Week™.
The five-day tournament will begin with preliminaries from Monday, July 6 to Thursday July 9. The finals of the World Championship tournament will then move to the UFC Fan Expo® at the Sands Expo & Convention Center on Saturday, July 11, where IMMAF’s 2015 champions and medalists will be crowned.
“MMA was first born onto a professional platform spawning grassroots communities globally and as a young sport has had some catching up to do,” IMMAF CEO, Densign White said. “The support of UFC® to our movement, which was born from grassroots MMA community for the MMA community, is invaluable. Volunteer groups all over the world are working hard to develop safe training pathways and competition ladders for recreational participants in the sport, as well as the stars of tomorrow. It has taken the forward thinkers in our member countries to initiate the journey that will bring MMA into alignment with all recognized sports. IMMAF is proud to have its athletes compete at International Fight Week.”
Each contest follows a tournament format and competitors will be selected daily, by draw, to determine their next opponent over five days of competition. Comprised of eight weight classes for men (Flyweight – Heavyweight) and four women’s weight classes (Strawweight – Featherweight), the international event follows IMMAF Rules of Amateur MMA in accordance with local legislation, overseen by the USA Mixed Martial Arts Kick International Federation (UMMAF) under the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
In 2014, the inaugural IMMAF World Championships attracted more than 100 athletes from 23 countries, becoming the first international competition for amateur MMA organized by a non-profit, democratic governing body in accordance with Olympic values. The championships are scheduled to be broadcast on UFC FIGHT PASS™. Tickets to the championships are scheduled to be released shortly.
Tickets for UFC Fan Expo® are currently on sale at www.ufcfanexpo.com with two day passes beginning at $60 online and $65 onsite. One-day passes begin at $35 online and $45 onsite. *Events are subject to change.
For more information regarding the IMMAF, please visit www.immaf.org and follow on Twitter @IMMAFed. For additional information please visit UFC.com, and follow UFC Fight Week on Twitter @UFCFightWeek.
About IMMAF
The International Mixed Martial Arts Federation is the international democratic body for the sport of MMA, representing MMA worldwide towards all stakeholders – athletes, coaches, referees, governments, athletic commissions, sports confederations, international organizations, professional promoters and more. Founded from within the MMA community for the MMA community, the purpose of the IMMAF is to protect and further the development and recognition of the sport of MMA on all levels, enabling international competition through the organization of non-profit, democratic national federations. www.immaf.org