The best up-and-coming amateur mixed martial artists from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales are set to compete in a brand new tournament in Liverpool, England.
The inaugural Four Nations mixed martial arts competition will see four national teams of amateur fighters compete for gold in an elimination tournament from July 1-3.
Hosted by the English Mixed Martial Arts Association (EMMAA), the Four Nations has attracted some of the best prospects in amateur mixed martial arts in the UK and Ireland, who are all looking to claim medal success in their respective weight divisions.
The tournament will take place over three days, with more than 65 athletes competing from strawweight to heavyweight.
EMMAA president and world-renowned MMA official Marc Goddard said, “It’s a good old-fashioned Four Nations between England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
“The youngsters taking part are the stars of tomorrow.”
England and Ireland sent teams to the IMMAF World Championships in January this year, with the Irish team winning four medals at the event.
England were unable to claim any medals, but showcased a host of top-level amateur talents, including Four Nations competitor Teddy Stringer (pictured). The Four Nations event will also mark the occasion of Scotland’s first foray into international amateur MMA as a national team.
EMMAA vice president and head of performance Paul Reed said, “This is groundbreaking. There hasn’t been an amateur championship for British MMA before.
“It’s an opportunity for athletes to represent their countries, get a lot of experience, build their records, and go away with a gold medal as a British champion. How good is that?”
The action gets underway on Friday, July 1, with the semi-finals taking place on Saturday, July 2, and the finals and bronze medal bouts following on Sunday, July 3. Medals will be presented after the conclusion of the tournament on Sunday, with a collection of sponsors and UK MMA legend, former Cage Warriors champion and former UFC welterweight title challenger Dan Hardy set to present the medals to the successful athletes.
Hardy, who is also an EMMAA board member, said, “It’s three days of fighting, all Four Nations involved, either four- or eight-person tournaments, depending on the weight class.
“We’ve got first, second and third place podiums. We’ve got £500 for the stand-out athlete of the weekend, and EMMAA has partnered with RDX for the entire tournament fightwear, so there’s loads of good kit going around.
“It’s going to be a live-stream pay-per-view and there’s a Sky documentary team coming. It’s going to be great.”
The Four Nations looks set to be an historic event for British and Irish MMA, and will showcase some of the best up-and-coming talent from the participating countries.
