Following their historic participation in the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) World Championships in UAE in January, Guyana Mixed Martial Arts Federation (GMMAF) President Gavin Singh recently sat down with Stabroek Sport to discuss the nation’s upcoming debut at the Pan American Championship.
Guyana will feature at the Pan American Championships in Monterrey, Mexico from June 22nd-24th. Six athletes from Phoenix Jujitsu, Guyana Police Force and 3-Ryu Karate Club, are under consideration to be selected to compete in the tournament. The final roster will be announced shortly.
Guyana made its international debut at the IMMAF Amateur World Championship in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, in January 2022.
Team Guyana, which included Ijaz Cave, and Carlos D’Anjou, incurred losses at their first hurdle. D’Anjou suffered an unfortunate first-round exit at the prestigious tournament, losing to Ireland’s Adam McEnroe via a second-round technical knockout (TKO) in their welterweight encounter. It was a debut to forget for D’Anjou, who was stopped with 1:51 remaining on the clock by the Irishman in Cage One.
Cave was eliminated in his debut at the Round of 16 stage. Given a bye to the section, Cave was knocked out (KO’d) by Sweden’s Robin Enontekio in the first round of their Light Heavyweight division clash.
Below features the entirety of the transcript for the exclusive interview.
SN: Has the team been finalized and what were the criteria utilized to select the team?
GS: “The Guyana Mix Martial Arts Federation (GAMMAF) has embarked to accept an invitation to the Pan American Games for June 2022 to be held in Monterrey, Mexico, from the International Mix Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF). Although a youthful federation, the Guyana team has had positive commitment and feedback from the international body. This has created a spectrum of hype within the local martial arts fraternity.
After taking part in the IMMAF Amateur championships in February 2022, our coaches and athletes are more energetic for this regional event.
“The process of selection entails an open invitation to member clubs from the IMMAF through the local body. This was done in accordance with the IMMAF protocol and timeline i.e. (a) The contestant must be of legal age according to the laws of the country where the competition is held (b) The contestant must be in good mental health and physical state. Additionally the contestant will be examined prior to competition locally, and by the IMMAF body for medical checks. (c) The contestant shall be well prepared to compete in MMA. (d) The contestant shall have experience from competing in full-contact martial arts. (e) When entering a competition, the contestant is responsible for ensuring that all relevant martial arts experience is reported. (f) Passport validity minimum timeframe required 2 years cooling off period. (g) Additionally, IMMAF will review every athlete before every game.”
“Some clubs have opted to exhibit their athletes for selection while some were reluctant due to unpreparedness. Most coaches and local executives have accepted the need for championship camp for their teams. Henceforth, allowing the experienced candidates to be the first choice since Guyana will be on show. Additionally, we will be expanding and partaking in the female category for this championship for the first time in this sport, namely Shenese Bobb.”
SN: What is the status of preparation for the event?
GS: “At present, the interested clubs whose members were short-listed under the required prerequisites have been in training camps with the dietary breakdown on an individual basis.”
SN: What are your realistic expectations of the team during the event?
GS: “The GMMAF is a work in progress and all efforts are made to empower the growth of the sport within Guyana, hence we will expect our athletes to learn and give their best in this tournament.”
SN: Given Guyana’s advancing profile on the international MMA circuit owing to participation, how does the local federation plan properly prepare the athletes in the near future?
GS: “The preparation of athletes is a process that entails individual selection, training mechanisms, coaching apparatuses, and medical and anti-doping training.
They all have their requisite bodies that are working to grow the sport.”
