The Madagascar KENPO Federation & MMA GAMMA successfully conducted a seminar on Striking MMA on 25 September in preparation for the Madagascar MMA Championships in November and the GAMMA World Championships in December.

Over two dozen athletes and coaches from five regions of Madagascar (Analamanga, Vakinakaratra, Itasy, Atsinanana, Amoron’i Mania) attended the seminar, which was led by President of the Federation Parfait Rakotoni.

Striking MMA was introduced in 2021 by the Global Association of Mixed Martial Arts (GAMMA) as a new style to ensure a smooth transition into traditional MMA.

Debuting at the recently concluded GAMMA Asian MMA Championships in Kyrgyzstan, Striking MMA allows for take downs but prohibits ground & pound and is therefore considered the perfect gateway for athletes looking to transition into traditional MMA from purely striking styles such as boxing, kickboxing and muaythai.

“From now on we can train athletes according to MMA and Striking MMA rules, which will bode well for future international tournaments,” said President Rakotoni. “I would like to thank all the participants as well as our hosts for making the seminar so successful.”

GAMMA Madagascar is one of over 100 GAMMA national federations across five continents. The global governing body for MMA, GAMMA works daily with its national members to develop and implement initiatives to promote the core values of the sport and establish quality development programs and pathways for aspiring MMA athletes.

“We applaud GAMMA Madagascar for introducing their athletes to the new discipline of Striking MMA,” said GAMMA President Alexander Engelhardt. “We hope that it encourages more Malagasy to take up the sport of MMA and we look forward to seeing them compete at the GAMMA World Championships in December. In the meantime, we encourage all member federations to hold similar introductory seminars in their regions for athletes, coaches, and referees alike.”