Cape Town — The match-ups have been made for the first-ever Mixed Martial Arts Super Cup.
The single elimination tournament which takes place during the Brave International Combat Week in Bahrain will see eight countries compete for the title of the best nation in the world, and allegedly receive the largest cash prize ever to be awarded in an amateur MMA tournament.
The participating teams — all selected through the IMMAF senior global rankings system included Russia, Ukraine, Bahrain, Kazakhstan, Ireland, and Tajikistan.
Two wildcard teams, namely the Balkan Champions and the Arab Champions were also entered into the knockout bracket.
The structure of the competition — promoted in association with KHK Sports, Brave Combat Federation, the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF), and the Bahrain Mixed Martial Arts Federation (BMMAF) will allow for 9 fighters per team (seven males and two females), one per weight class. Three substitute athletes (two males and one female) will also be allowed per team.
The quarter-final draw which took place yesterday concluded with Russia facing Ireland in match one and Ukraine facing the Arab Champs in match two. Match three will see Kazakhstan face the Balkan Champions and Bahrain will face Tajikistan in the final quarter-final.
Each stage will consist of nine bouts between two teams with each fight consisting of three 180-second rounds.
Extra rounds may be added on should a fight end in a draw as no ties will be allowed. The team with more wins after all fights will be declared the winner.
The four semi-finalists will then compete in the knockout stage and for a spot in the final which will see the winning team receive a whopping R1 551 990. The runner-ups will take home
R1 164 351, while third place winners grab a handsome R766 234. The prize money will be directed to the investment of the respective national federations. The MMA Super Cup will take place between March 8-12 at Khalifa Sports City in the Kingdom of Bahrain. For more details, stay tuned to the BraveCF social media pages.
Male divisions
Bantamweight (over 125 to 135 pounds)
Featherweight (over 135 to 145 pounds)
Lightweight (over 145 to 155 pounds)
Welterweight (over 155 to 170 pounds)
Middleweight (over 170 to 185 pounds)
Light Heavyweight (over 185 to 205 pounds)
Heavyweight (over 205 to 265 pounds)
Female divisions
Flyweight (over 115 to 125 pounds)