The first part of Guyana’s Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) national team arrived in Monterrey, Mexico on Saturday to represent the country at the Pan American Games.
The team is accompanied by Team Doctor Dennis Bassier, with Coach and Athlete John Campayne (of the John Campayne MMA Club), Private Ezekiel Persuad (John Campayne MMA Club and 360 Muay Thai), and Lyndon Fung of the Guyana Police Force Mixed Martial Arts Academy making up a significant part of the team.
Other members of the team include Assistant Technical Charles Greaves, Ijaze Cave, and Carl Ramsey, who were expected to land in Mexico yesterday.
John Campayne and Lyndon Fung will be contesting the Super Heavyweight Category while Ezekiel Persuad, making his debut at the Pan American Games, will compete in the Straw-weight Category. Ijaze Cave will bring his prowess to the Middleweight Category, while Carl Ramsey will battle in the Heavyweight Category.
Another athlete, Joshua Alexander of Zing Zang MMA and 360 Muay Thai, is unable to compete due to medical reasons as determined by Safe MMA.
While the Pan Am Games were scheduled to take place in Trinidad and Tobago in July of this year, the games were later moved to Monterrey, Mexico.
Commenting on Team Guyana’s journey to Mexico, Guyana Mixed Martial Arts Federation (GMMAF) Vice President and Head of Administration, Troy Phillips, expressed the federation’s gratitude to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sport, and the Mexican Embassy for going the extra mile in assisting with visas for the athletes. “Their support has been instrumental in ensuring that our team could compete on this international stage” he said.
Phillips further added; “As our athletes prepare to step into the ring, we remember the words of Muhammad Ali: ‘I hated every minute of training, but I said, don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.’ We await the results with confidence, knowing that their hard work and sacrifice will yield excellence”.
The MMA Pan American Championships will run until September 7.
