Teams Mexico and Oceania to replace Ukraine and Russia at MMA Super Cup
Due to their great quality as competitors, exponents of the Federation of Mixed Martials of Mexico (FAMM) were summoned to the MMA Super Cup, after the teams from Russia and Ukraine were left out of this event in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
The above was confirmed by the FAMM on its official Facebook page, as well as on the website of the International Mixed Martial Federation (IMMAF), through a statement where it is reported that, in addition to the Mexican team, there will be exponents from Oceania. In its statement, the IMMAF indicates that the teams from Mexico and Oceania Champions will replace the teams from Ukraine and Russia in the MMA Super Cup, which will take place from March 8 to 12, as part of BRAVE International Combat Week. This came after the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces forced the Ukrainian Amateur MMA team to withdraw from this single-elimination tournament among the top-ranked nations in amateur MMA, where prizes will be awarded in cash. Given this, the IMMAF board joined the international sport in its decision to suspend the membership of the Russian Union of MMA, in solidarity with Ukraine.
Regarding the decision to choose the Mexican athletes, it is noted that “the incoming Mexican team returned to international competition for the first time since 2019 for the 2021 World Championships, and still managed to work their way up to a fair ranking spot. out of the top 10. Furthermore, "after organizing 20 national amateur tournaments last year, the Mexican Mixed Martial Arts Federation produced a team of 19 athletes from 10 different states for the World Cup." “The team came out with a silver medal and a bronze medal obtained by Valeria Gómez and Diego Torres, respectively. This follows the medal successes of the Mexican team in their previous World Cup and Pan American appearances in 2019.” In this regard, the president of IMMAF, Kerrith Brown, said: “We thank the FAMM, NZMMAF and IMMAFA federations for agreeing to organize teams at short notice. All three nations have proven their credibility in IMMAF competition, but also have strong foundations as federations through their developed club membership, national competition circuits, and progression schemes that provide a wealth of talent. This allows federations to mobilize elite amateur teams at short notice that can be relied on to deliver high-level performances worthy of the Super Cup platform. Athletes and coaches alike are to be commended for rising to the challenge in a very short time, showing true fighting spirit. The teams from Mexico and Oceania field strong teams in the tournament, which will keep everyone on their toes.” With this, the IMMAF published the names of the Mexican squad that will attend the MMA Super Cup, which are: manly branch • Bantamweight (135 pounds): Jorge Antonio López Pérez • Featherweight (145 pounds): Victor Gerardo Quintana Vazquez • Lightweight (155 pounds): Luis Enrique González Martínez • Welterweight (170lbs): Jorge Raul Zaragoza de la Cruz • Middleweight (185 pounds): Diego Torres Rangel • Light heavyweight (205 pounds): Miguel Ángel Serna Castro • Heavyweight (265lbs): Daniel Flores Sartorius Male substitutes: Anthony Ramírez Amado; Jaime Samuel Sierra Lara female branch: • Flyweight (125lbs): Violeta Mendoza Corral • Women's bantamweight (135 pounds): Andrea Gabriela Guzmán Salazar Coaches: Jesús Ubaldo Marroquín Rodríguez and Daniel Solórzano Fernández