Team Nigeria’s Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) athletes, comprising nine fighters, are relishing their experience at the ongoing 13th African Games in Ghana, where they featured in nine weight categories.
The fighters, against all odds, won five gold, three silver and one bronze medals in the MMA category.
Muzan Richard won the gold medal in the men’s 120.5kg by beating Cote d’Ivoire’s Dago Fanny. Eze Daniel (83.9kg), Busayo Idowu (52.2kg), Olanike Sodiq (61.2kg) and Joy Obanla (65.8kg) also won gold medals in their respective categories.
The silver medallists are Blessing Karo (61.2kg), Bernard Eweh (65.8kg) and Winifred Peter (47.6kg), while the solo bronze medallist is Albert Idowu (70.3kg).
To qualify for the African Games, the athletes went through the MMA Championship held in February by the Boxing and MMA Hall of Fame, which represents the sport’s global ruling body, the Global Association of Mixed Martial Arts (GAMMA).
Speaking during a reception for the contingent by the management of Continental Hotel, Lagos, recently, the athletes regretted that the country paid scant attention to their preparation for the Games, saying that the nine MMA fighters made a tortuous road trip, lasting over 10 hours, to be in Ghana.
They added, however, that their determination to excel against strong competition from Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Sudan, Togo, Uganda, Libya and hosts, Ghana, pushed them to success.
Gold medalist, Obanla, said she was buoyed by the Nigerian ‘No gree for anybody’ spirit, adding that she was determined to put the country’s name on the MMA map.
Silver medallist, Idowu, who said she started as a boxer, described her Accra experience as ‘worthwhile,’ adding that her ambition is to become a world champion like Usman Kamaru.
Extolling the team for making Nigeria proud in Ghana, Continental Group Nigeria’s General Manager, Karl Hala, described the medallists as role models for the country’s youths.
Hala expressed satisfaction at the performance of the team, noting that their performance mirrors the importance of sports and youth support.
According to Hala, the athletes’ success has shown that there is a bright future and hope for a long and fruitful partnership with Boxing and MMA Hall of Fame (HOF).
Also speaking at the reception, General Secretary of Boxing and MMA Hall of Fame, Kehinde Soyannwo, explained that the national tournament at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos State, which featured 60 athletes from different states of the country, helped to select a strong national team to represent Nigeria at the African Games.
According to Soyannwo, the Boxing and MMA Hall of Fame’s mission is to make Nigeria one of the best amateur and professional martial arts countries in the world.
