Team Kazakhstan sustained its winning ways on Day 2 of the GAMMA Asian MMA Championship 2021, leaving itself in pole position for tomorrow’s gold-medal rounds in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan.

Team Kazakhstan will have an impressive 22 of its athletes vying for Asian Championship titles after another day of dominance in both MMA and Striking MMA disciplines.

But it was the hosts Kyrgyzstan who showed their intent early on, opening the day with two victories simultaneously in Rings 1 and 2. Aidamir Magamatov saw off India’s Limasunep Imchen in the -61.2 kg/ -135 lbs Elite Men’s MMA division, while compatriot Murtazali Magomedov defeated Ananda Muhibbullah Ibnu of Indonesia in the -70.3 kg/-155 lbs Elite Men’s MMA division.

Magamatov, who went on to beat India’s Aaquib Javid in the semifinal, will meet Kazakhstan’s Sagnay Shukir in the final. Magomedov, meanwhile, was victorious over countrymate Mirbek Zhenishbekov in the semis and will face India’s Sumit Bhyan in the final.

The hosts will have a total of 10 athletes in tomorrow’s finals, including heavyweight Nursultan Tailakov, who will square off against Kazakhstan’s Duman Balmukhanov in the last bout of the day to determine the Asian Champion in the -93kg/ -205 lbs Elite Men’s MMA division.

“I am delighted with the way the GAMMA Asian MMA Championship has unfolded so far,” said Babur Tolbaev, Head of the Local Organising Committee and President of the Kyrgyzstan MMA & PF KG Federation. 

“Not only has our team put together a wonderful event in an extremely short time, but our athletes are proving that Kyrgyzstan MMA is at an elite level globally. We hope to translate that into as many gold medals as possible tomorrow.”

Team India also put in a strong performance on Day 2, with 11 of its athletes advancing, including three of its female competitors. Samata Sonavane moved into the final of the -52.2 kg/ -115 lbs Elite Women’s MMA division with a spirited performance over Kazakhstan’s Perizat Omurbekova, while Akshata Khadtare will face Kazakhstan’s Tomiris Zhussupova in the final of the -52.2 kg/ -115 lbs Elite Women’s Striking MMA category.

India’s Kaur Harpeet had a red-letter day at the expense of Sanika Patil, defeating her countrymate in not one but two semifinals: those for the -56.7 kg/ -125 lbs Elite Women’s Striking MMA division and the -56.7 kg/ -125 lbs Elite Women’s MMA. Tune in tomorrow to see if Harpeet can pull off the golden double.

Competitors from Pakistan (2), Palestine (2), Iran (1), Thailand (1) and Uzbekistan (1) will also be looking to take home gold.

If that wasn’t enough, there will also be a special MMA bout between two social media influencers to look forward to. Bakyt Makeev will go up against Askat Osmonov in a battle where no amount of likes or followers will help them. This will be a re-match for the both of them and they will be competing against the GAMMA Pro ruleset.

All the action gets under way at 10 a.m. local time (UTC +6). Be sure to follow along live on our GAMMA channels: YouTube and Facebook.