Eko Hot Blog reports that on Friday, the triumphant Nigerian Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) champions from the 2023 African Games in Ghana were celebrated by the management of the Lagos Continental Hotel for their impressive performance and medal achievements at the tournament.
At the ongoing 13th African Games in Ghana, MMA debuted as a demonstration sport. Nigeria emerged atop the medals table, securing five golds, three silver, and one bronze, leading ahead of countries such as Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Sudan, Togo, Uganda, Libya, and hosts Ghana.
The gold medallists are Muzan Richard (120.5kg), Eze Daniel (83.9kg), Busayo Idowu (52.2kg), Olanike Sodiq (61.2kg) and Joy Obanla (65.8kg).
The silver medallists are Blessing Karo (61.2kg), Benard Eweh (65.8kg) and Winifred Peter (47.6kg) while the lone bronze medallist is Albert Idowu (70.3kg).
Nine fighters were chosen from a pool of 60 athletes who participated in the national tournament held on February 18 at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere, Lagos.
In order to achieve their dreams, the fighters made a road trip of about 10 hours to Accra .
Silver medallist Idowu, who started as a boxer described her Accra experience as “worthwhile”, stressing that it has strengthened her resolve to make a name for herself in MMA.
General Manager of Continental Group Nigeria, Karl Hala, described the medallists as role models for Nigerian youths.
“We are proud of your performance in Ghana and this is another importance of sports and youth support, which we hope will bring a bright future and hope for a long and fruitful partnership with Boxing and MMA Hall of Fame (HOF),” Hala said.
General Secretary of Boxing and MMA Hall of Fame and official representative of the Global Association Of Mixed Martial Arts (GAMMA) in Nigeria, Kehinde Soyannwo also said, “Boxing and MMA Hall of Fame’s mission, as our honorable founder, Wale Edun said, is to give a chance to excel and make Nigeria proud on the World stage as amateurs and even professionals. And we are witnessing this moment of pride now.”
The Association of African Sports Confederations (AASC) has officially recognized MMA in Africa, with GAMMA boasting 20 active member federations on the continent, including the Ghanaian Mixed Martial Arts Association, which is also the host federation.
GAMMA aims to have Mixed Martial Arts formally acknowledged as a sport by the Olympic movement and included in the Olympic Games.
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