The leading amateur MMA athletes from across Europe are now in Kyiv, Ukraine for the GAMMA European Championships 2021, with bouts running from 7-9 November at the Palace of Sports.

In the lead up to the start of tomorrow’s competition, the official tournament draw was held today that produced a number of mouth-watering first-round clashes featuring a mix of familiar faces and up-and-coming talent. The full card can be found here.

With teams from 15 countries registered, seminars on the rules and regulations for MMA and Striking MMA were organised today for all athletes, coaches and referees.

For the first time, GAMMA conducted an anti-doping education seminar for athletes and their entourages. Delivered by independent anti-doping organisation the International Testing Agency (ITA), the seminar focused on athletes’ rights and responsibilities, the prohibited list (including medications, supplements and Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUEs)), the doping control process, and the consequences of doping. Read more about the seminar here.

In addition to the athletes and officials that have made it to Kyiv, there is also a large media contingent that is ready to record all the great stories of the tournament and broadcast them across the globe. 

The official opening ceremony is set for noon local time (11:00 CET) on Sunday, to be followed by the first day of competition beginning from 13:15 (12:15 CET).

Medals will be awarded in 16 weight categories (9 for men and 7 for women) and all the action will be streamed live on GAMMA’s Facebook and YouTube channels, as well as the official Oktagon MMA Facebook page.

We look forward to seeing some new heroes crowned at what is sure to be a memorable European Championships this week.

Stay tuned for all the news.