The International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) has announced that the 2020 IMMAF World and Junior World Championships and the 2020 IMMAF Asian and Junior Asian Open Championships will both take place in Nursultan, Kazakhstan.

The announcement was made on February 27, 2020, at a press conference organized by Host Federation, the Kazakhstan National Public Union of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Federation, attended by IMMAF President Kerrith Brown, IMMAF CEO Densign White and General Director of Kazakhstan MMA federation Valikhan Ten.

IMMAF Asian Championships

The 2020 IMMAF Asian & Junior Asian Open Championships are scheduled for June 23 – 27, 2020 (with the Tournament Draw on June 22). If you have never been to Nursultan, Kazakhstan before, you should expect warm weather for these events at this time of year. The summer months are the perfect time to visit Kazakhstan, a beautiful country with beautiful, hospitable people. During the summer months, you can expect the days to be warm and long, with the sun not setting until late in the evening. The Asian Open events will unfold at the Palace of Combat and Martial Arts – Zhekpe Zhek, in the capital city, Nursultan.

IMMAF World Championships

The 2020 IMMAF World and Junior World Championships will take place during the week of October 25, 2020. By this time of year, you will want to be bundled up rather warmly. Kazakhstan is known for its long, cold, snowy winters, and winter comes early on the Great Kazakh Steppe. The capital city, Nursultan is located directly in the center of the ninth largest country in the world by land mass. Nursultan is a very windy city, especially in the winter. It is the second coldest capital city in the world, ranking behind only Ulaanbataar, Mongolia. Winter tempuratures of -35 degrees celcius are not uncommon, and by mid-November The Ishim River which winds through the city center is already frozen solid. It should be pointed out that the venue for the Worlds has yet to be confirmed. Check back in for updates.

Kazakhstan National Team

The Kazakhstan National Public Union of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Federation is recognized by the National Sport Committee of Kazakhstan. The National Team ranks 3rd place in the Senior World Amateur MMA Rankings and 2nd place in the Juniors. The team picked up 18 medals including 4 golds* at the 2019 IMMAF World Championships in Bahrain, and 22 medals including 7 golds** at the 2019 Asian Open in Thailand. Stand out athletes included straw weight, Bagdat Zhubanysh, who places 3rd and female atom-weight Ayan Tursyn, who places 16th in the World Amateur Pound 4 Pound rankings.

Kazakhstani MMA World and Asian Champions

**Kazakhstani 2019 Asian Gold medalists are Ayan Tursyn, Talshyn Zhumatayeva, Bagdat Zhubanysh, Olzhas Moldagaliyev, Anatoliy Zolotykh, Aidyn Tolepbayev, Madi Dosmukhametov – Men’s Middleweight.

*Kazakhstani 2019 World Gold medalists are Bagdat Zhubanysh, Talshyn Zhumatayeva, Fariz Abdalov, Gani Adilserik.

High Standards

Speaking at the Nursultan press conference, General Director of Kazakhstan MMA federation Valikhan Ten said:

“We are very proud to host these prestigious events in Kazakhstan. We will do our best to deliver the events to the highest level.”

IMMAF President Kerrith Brown said:

“There was tense bid process between Bahrain, Abu Dhabi and Kazakhstan to host the Championships: We are certain that Kazakhstan will perform to a high level and will be able to deliver the event to a gold standard. From our side, we will give every support.”

President Brown thanked IMMAF Honorary President, Vadim Finkelchtein; the new President of the Kazakhstan National Public Union of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Federation and Chairman of the Management Board of JSC NC “KazMunayGas”, Aidarbayev Alik Serikovich; and the National Sport Committee of Kazakhstan for their support in facilitating the hosting of the IMMAF World and Asian Championships in Kazakhstan.

Make sure to check back with MatMartial.com for updates on the 2020 IMMAF World Championships in Kazakhstan. In the meantime check out our other posts and stories in MMA and JIU-JITSU. Check out our predictions for the Main Event and the Co-Main Event at UFC 248.