ONE Lumpinee Opportunity awaits Best Athletes from Asian Championship

06 December 2022

The top four competitors from the 2022 GAMMA Asian-Pacific Championships, who were named last month in Pattaya, Thailand, are looking forward to their competitive matches with ONE Lumpinee in 2023.

The goal of ONE Lumpinee, a series of events established in September by ONE Championship and held at Bangkok's renowned Lumpinee stadium, is to promote and advance combat sports in Thailand. The chance for GAMMA athletes is a component of the organization's ongoing strategic cooperation with ONE Championship.

Sandra Succar from Lebanon won the 65.8kg category, Sumit Bhyan from India won the 70.3kg category, Farida Abdueva from Kyrgyzstan won the 52.2kg striking MMA category, and Almaz Sarsembekov from Kazakhstan won the 61.2kg striking MMA category, earning the four coveted spots—two male and two female—for MMA and Striking MMA.

A panel of three unbiased GAMMA representatives evaluated the competitors' ring performances as well as their general competitive spirit during the Championships.

Sandra Succar moved up a weight category at the 2022 Asian-Pacific Championships and became GAMMA's first-ever two division champion when she captured the continental title. Sandra Succar had previously won bronze at the 2019 World Championships and then gold at the 2021 Worlds in the -61.2kg division. She was honoured by the president earlier this year for her support of sports in Lebanon.

At the Asian Championships in 2021 and the 2019 World Championships, Sumit Bhyan won silver. Sumit defeated two favourites from Kazakhstan in stunning fashion on his way to the finals in Kyrgyzstan last year, but he lost his final match. This time, his gold-medal achievement at the Asian-Pacific Championships in 2022 demonstrated his strong will and never-say-die spirit.

ALSO READ | Collecting Medals and Arms: The Story of Indian MMA Fighter Sumit Bhyan

Farida Abdueva, who won both the 52.2 kg MMA and Striking MMA divisions, was the only double gold medalist of the Championships. Farida, who is only 18 years old, created an impression on her opponents by maintaining excellent composure and sound technique. Future observers should keep an eye out for her.

A bronze medal was earned by Almaz Sarsembekov at the 2021 GAMMA Asian Championships. This time, he achieved excellent victories on his way to the championship match before shocking everyone by defeating his countryman Sairan Sagyndykov, the GAMMA 2021 World 61.2kg Striking MMA Champion.

Speaking about the opportunity for these athletes GAMMA President Alexander Engelhardt said, “as an International Federation one of our missions is to provide real pathways for athletes to transition from our championships to the professional promotions for those that want to. We have already seen the value and success of developing these partnerships in recent months and these four athletes are great ambassadors for our sport and now it is up to them to make the most of this opportunity.”

What are your thoughts on the opportunity? Let us know in the comments below.

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