Pictured: Chase Boutwell picks up his first international victory at last year’s IMMAF World Championships – photo by Jorden Curran
Written by Dane McGuire, IMMAF U.S. Correspondent
Following a three-day national championship tournament held between February 1-3 in Boonville, MO, USA, the country now has its representatives put forward for IMMAF’s 2018 events circuit, including November’s 2018 IMMAF World Championships of Amatuer MMA.
2018 U.S. National Team as of February 11, per UMMAF:
Men’s
125lbs: Romeo Orosco
Alternate: Trevor Barnes
135lbs: Sam Paneitz
Alternate: Michael Williams
145lbs: Chase Boutwell
155lbs: Roy Sarabia
Alternate: Kyle Cason
170lbs: Laree Hutchison
Alternate: Darian Weeks
185lbs: Angelo Rivera Jr
205lbs: Joshua Cumbee
Alternate: Toma Walton
265lbs: Darion Abbey
Alternate: Joshua Bush
Women’s
115lbs: Hannah Scoggins
125lbs: Laneisha Vinson
135lbs: Kia Lola
Alternate: Fotini Kandris
145lbs: Taryn Conklin
155lbs: Dorothy Godwin
Names that stand out include defending national champion Chase Boutwell (Georgia) and 2016 Nationals competitor Taryn Conklin (Wisconsin), both qualify as primary competitors. Fellow previous national champions Darian Weeks (Missouri,) Toma Walton (Missouri,) and Fotini Kandris will serve as alternates. All five athletes return to the national squad as veterans of the IMMAF World Championships.
Hannah Scoggins (South Carolina) was unable to compete for a spot on the national team last year, but did represent the U.S at the 2017 IMMAF Asian Open in Singapore, winning the Women’s Flyweight gold medal. Her presence coincided with husband Justin Scoggins’ bout at UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Correira, which also went down in Singapore.
IMMAF 2018 events schedule:
2018 IMMAF Oceania Open Championships
16 – 18 March, Melbourne – Australia
2018 IMMAF European Championships
PLUS IMMAF Junior European Open Championships (age 18 -21)
17 – 23 June, Bucharest – Romania
2018 IMMAF Africa Open Championships
24 – 26 May, Johannesburg – South Africa
2018 IMMAF Asian Open Championships
PLUS IMMAF Junior MMA World Championships (age 18 -21)
3 – 8 September, Beijing – China
2018 IMMAF World Championships
November, Manama – Bahrai
In addition, UMMAF announced their first national youth champions since partnering with the United States Fight League (USFL,) which serves as the UMMAF development arm.
Inaugural USFL/UMMAF Youth National Champions (age 8-17) per USFL:
Male
ROOKIES (8-9 years, 65lbs): Brock Taylor
NOVICE (10-11 years, 95lbs): Benjamin Taylor and Brandon Pollock
SCHOOLBOY (12-13 years, 80/85lbs): Xeric Karoutsos
CADET (14-15 years, 185 lbs): Noah White
*ROOKIE and NOVICE are mixed-gender divisions.
Female
SCHOOLGIRL (12-13 years, 135lbs): Zoey Hahn
CADET GIRLS (14-15 years, 120lbs): Shaniyah Carlson
The IMMAF World Championships will return to last year’s host country of Bahrain where the U.S. finished in third place, taking home two bronze and two gold medals last year. America is currently sixth in IMMAF’s team rankings with 3,994 points.
For more information visit UMMAF.org.
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