The South African team is preparing to improve upon last year's results at the upcoming MMA World Championship, which will take place in Georgia next week. This prestigious international amateur mixed martial arts competition starts in Tbilisi on November 1 and runs until November 7.
More than 820 athletes from over 60 countries will participate in the tournament, competing in junior and senior divisions.
MMA
Mixed Martial Arts South Africa (MMA SA) has registered ten athletes from Mzansi. The team hopes to continue the success of the previous year, when Mohammed Motala won bronze in the junior heavyweight division, and Charmaine Rabbolini won gold in the senior lightweight women's division.
In the junior men's division, Mogamat Sali will compete in the flyweight category, while Xavier Cornelius will take the bantamweight division. Jeremy Griffin will represent South Africa in the semi-heavyweight category.
MMA
All three of these athletes won gold medals at the National Championships this year, with Sali also holding the title of undisputed bantamweight champion.
MMA
In the senior men's division, Sanele Shabala and Agmad Keran will compete in bantamweight, while Giancarlo Torino and Jason Damons will also represent South Africa in the superlight and middleweight divisions, respectively, facing some of the world's strongest amateur opponents.
In the senior women's division, Nicole Alves (2026 national champion) will compete in the strawweight category, while Vinuska van Straaten (2026 national champion) and Sherize Verster will represent South Africa in bantamweight.
A Dream Realized on the World Stage
Part of the South African delegation has already arrived in Tbilisi, and the rest of the team plans to land in the coming days. Coach and Western Cape MMA board member Irfan Gool, along with Sali and Keran, are currently acclimatizing to the environment and getting acquainted with the Georgian experience before the competition begins. Cornelius and his mother are expected to arrive tomorrow, and the MMA SA president and coach, William Oberholzer, and the rest of the group will complete their journey by flying out on Friday.
Registration and draws are scheduled for November 1, with the official start of the competition on November 2.
For many athletes, these championships are a dream come true, providing an opportunity to showcase their abilities on the world stage, gain valuable international experience, and open doors for further opportunities in sports.
This event is particularly significant for Keran, who only started his MMA journey last year. The athlete, born in Lotus River, has made remarkable progress in a relatively short time.
Discussing the situation with Coach Gool at a hotel in Georgia, Keran struggled to contain his excitement about the opportunity. He stated: 'Coach, this isn't real. I'm a guy from Lotus River. Things like this don't happen. I'm competing in the World Championship and I'm part of the South African team... it still feels unreal.'
Gool, who has worked with Keran since the beginning of his MMA journey, expressed pride in the young athlete's progress. He noted: 'This was a truly big achievement for Agmad Keran, and I am proud to have been with him from the very beginning. He is a phenomenal student, and we grow as one unit.'
Building the Next Generation of South African MMA
Oberholzer believes that championships provide an important opportunity for South Africa's rising talents to gain experience while maintaining the country's proud record on the international stage. He emphasized: 'We have a relatively young team representing South Africa at these MMA World Championships, with several athletes debuting on the international stage.'
He added that 'South Africa has produced medalists and world champions in each of the three previous MMA World Championships, demonstrating that we constantly influence the global arena.'
According to Oberholzer, while they always strive to bring home medals, they also recognize the importance of gaining international experience and developing the next generation of South African MMA talent. He concluded: 'The MMA World Championships represent the pinnacle of amateur mixed martial arts, bringing together the best amateur athletes from around the world to compete at the highest international level. We are confident that our athletes will represent South Africa with pride and continue to build our international success.'