ABU DHABI: The UAE Jiu-Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts Federation has been named the 2022 winner of the Host Federation of the Year award by the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF).
The prize, which was given out during the IMMAF’s annual general assembly in Serbia, recognized the UAE’s official regulatory body for the sports for having hosted two World Championships in a single year.
“We want to dedicate this award to the visionary leadership of the UAE for their limitless support to the sports and athletes in the country,” said Mohammed bin Dalmouj Al-Dhaheri, board member of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation and chairman of the federation’s Mixed Martial Arts Committee.
“Being selected as the Host Federation of the Year is undoubtedly a reward for the tireless efforts our team members have put in over the last few months. This was the first time ever that a country has hosted two world championships in a single year — the Senior and Junior World Championships in January and Youth championship in August.
“This gives us the drive to advance and keep up the excellent job, especially because Abu Dhabi is poised to host the 2023 Youth MMA World Championship in August,” he added.
The award was received on behalf of the Federation by Mohammed Al-Hosani, member of the Mixed Martial Arts Committee. Al-Dhaheri and a number of other officials were also present at the event.
The IMMAF’s General Assembly was held on Friday at Stark Arena in Novi Beograd with 43 member federations in attendance. The meeting involved talks on on accepting the full memberships of new federations, such as Kuwait and the US, as well as accepting observer status memberships for countries including Palestine and South Korea.
