Marc Goddard Leads IMMAF International Referee and Judging Course in India

23 July 2022

The 16th and 17th of July 2022 saw the IMMAF International Referee and Judging Course take place in Mumbai, India. IMMAF Director of Regulatory Affairs Marc Goddard, who was welcomed with open arms upon his arrival in Mumbai, led this training programme that included 18 participants from twelve states who were nationally qualified officials of MMA India.

The seminar began on July 16 and ran from 9:30 am to 6:00 pm at the Hotel Sea Princess. The MMA Unified Rules were discussed in the session. The UFC GYM Bandra West hosted theory and practical exams the following day.

The MMA India Board, led by President Sharif Mohammed Bapu T, was there for the entirety of the course, along with Secretary Prasad Gaitonde, Senior Vice-President Ajay Marwah, and other board members, and the coaching staff for the national squad. The project, which will aid in producing more officials with foreign qualifications, was assisted and supported by members.

“It was amazing to see the excitement of the officials, who were doing the course, and Marc, who was training them. It was a great knowledgeable session which lasted nine hours on day one and then seven hours on day two, which was very intense as the examination was in the mind of all the officials. I remember our time six years back when we were in the same position. [We were] a bit nervous, but excited as we wanted to be certified at the international level and help promote the sport of MMA while keeping in mind the safety of the fighters, which is the main objective of IMMAF,” MMA India President Sharif Bapu noted.

The federation, which has done amazing work this year, is taking another significant step with the completion of this course. The federation just held its fifth open championships, drawing close to 25,000 spectators.

The next item on the schedule is to send a youth team to the August 17–20, 2022, Youth World Championships. India will be sending a team to the Youth World Championships for the first time, and sixteen competitors have already signed up. The organisation is consistently moving on the right path, and MMA in India has a promising future.

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