Tbilisi:Angola's national junior and senior mixed martial arts teams have advanced impressively to the round of 32 at the 12th World Mixed Martial Arts Championships. This progression follows a series of sweeping victories in the opening rounds of the competition held in the Georgian capital.
According to Angola Press News Agency, the Angolan Mixed Martial Arts Federation (FAMMA) released a statement highlighting the exceptional technical skills demonstrated by the Angolan delegation in the initial days of the tournament.
The championship action began on Sunday with a standout performance by Angolan junior competitors. Notably, Pedro Kuxi secured a decisive submission victory over Morocco's Abderrahmane Toufi in the 56.7 kg weight class, advancing to face Armenia's Artur Asoyan. Renato Pireza also excelled in the same category, defeating Kazakhstan's Ismail Tairov and moving forward to meet Spain's Nabih Laouimri Akhazzan.
In other matches, Ataneko Manuel triumphed over Azerbaijan's Ismat Badalov, setting up a match with Ukraine's Pavlo Filatov, while Sebastião Levi overcame Portugal's Loc Monteiro in the 56.8 kg bracket and will face Poland's Dominiki Sitko.
Angola's senior athletes mirrored their junior counterparts with strong performances. Bruno Capingala defeated Mongolia's Bayarjavkhlan Baatarchuluun in the 70.3 kg class, earning a match against the United States' Eitan Kagan. Paixão Samilonga delivered a knockout against Finland's Joni Vesa in the 74.8 kg division and will fight Lithuania's Nojus Zakarauskas. Sandro de Brito also advanced, overcoming the Czech Republic's Marek Vesely in the 61.2 kg category to face Uzbekistan's Mustafo Kadamov.
As the competition progresses, the remainder of Angola's 26-athlete roster, consisting of 15 seniors and 11 juniors, will continue to compete. Upcoming matches include Cipriano Jamba against Ukraine's Volodymyr Shechovenko, Conceição Gomes facing Poland's Aleksandra Geaidy, Eucádia Gualdino battling Lebanon's Sylvie Samaha, Teixeira taking on Lebanon's Mziana Hadid, and Francisco Tchapaina against Algeria's Hichem Djouahir.
