Africa-Press – Namibia. HIGH expectations have been set for the Namibian team that will compete at the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation World Championships for the first time next month.
The six-member Namibian team will compete at the IMMAF World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia from 11 to 18 February, and despite the team’s inexperience, their coach Carlos De Sousa is confident that they will win some medals.
“I can pretty much put my name on a block that they will come home with medals – they are so talented and they’ve competed against the best of Africa. At the African Games last year we gave them hidings – at first they didn’t expect much from Namibia, but now they realise that Namibia is on the map,” he said.
“The word is getting out there, Namibia is getting out, so we are reaching out to corporates and private companies to support this sport so that we can develop it much more,” he added.
The Namibian team is headed by Veja Hinda who exploded onto the continental scene when he became the African featherweight champion at the IMMAF Africa Championships in South Africa last year.
He won gold after beating South Africa’s Nicolaas Vermaak in the final with an armbar submission in the second round, but it was first-round semifinal knockout victory over Geraldo Moise of Mauritius that got people talking.
He knocked Moises out with a kick to the head after 52 seconds of the first round, which later saw him finishing second in the IMMAF Knockout World Cup competition, where MMA fans voted for the best knockouts of the past few years on the IMMAF Instagram channel.
Geraldo Bok, who won a bronze medal in the lightweight category at the 2022 African Championships will represent Namibia in the bantamweight category, while Namibia’s other competitors are Damian Muller (flyweight) and Arno Kotze (straw weight), as well as the two 19-year-old fighters Ronaldo Feris and Stefan Gilge who will compete in the youth division.
De Sousa said there will be a lot on offer for the Namibians at the world championships.
“If any of these fighters win medals at the world champs they can get professional contracts to fight for the EFC, or UFC – and these are six digit contracts, Im talking about millions of dollars,” he said.
“Veja has already got a professional contract on the table, but we turned it down because we want him to compete at the world champs so it just shows you that we are taking our time to grow the sport, to develop the kids, and to showcase the talent that Namibia has – we’ve got so much hidden talent in this country, it’s scary,” he added.
De Sousa said the team was in top shape.
“These boys are very well prepared – they train still have to give me one-on-one training during the day for another full hour. They have three-minute rounds during which they have to give me 200 punches, 300 kicks, and other throws as well, and if they do not get those numbers they don’t go with me, thats how strict we are,” he said.
The chief administrator of the Namibia Sport Commission, Fred Mwiya also attended the press conference and called on Namibian companies to support the team financially.
“I’ve been following MMA in Namibia and I believe it’s a sport that’s grown by leaps and bounds. It’s not easy and we know the financial challenges that you are experiencing, so I’d like to call on corporates to support these athletes to go to the World Champs. To raise a child takes the entire village, so that’s why we are calling a lot of people to come on board,” he said.
Da Sousa said he estimates the cost per athlete to amount to about N$45 000, which will include the entry fee, the air ticket, accommodation and bus and taxi services to and from the hotel, and meals and beverages.
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