Lagos Boxing Hall of Fame (LBHF), the renowned longest running monthly boxing tournament in Nigeria has rebranded to Boxing & MMA Hall of Fame (HOF) and has staged its first amateur MMA tournament under the umbrella, of the Global Association of Mixed Martial Arts (GAMMA) together with its usual monthly boxing tournament last Sunday at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall of Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos State.
The tournament GAMMA Nigeria Open National MMA Championship featuring athletes from different states in the country jostling for spots on the first national Nigerian MMA team to the 13th African Games taking place in Accra, Ghana next month.
According to the organisers, the introduction of MMA comes at a historic moment where MMA will feature for the first time at the Olympics and Nigeria will be proudly represented in 10 weight divisions, 6 for males and 4 for females.
A total of 60 Athletes participated in both Boxing and MMA during the tournament and the bouts were managed and officiated by Lagos State Boxing Association (LABA) and the Global Association of Mixed Martial Arts (GAMMA Nigeria).
Founder of LBHF and Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, described the rebrand event as a revolution. “This is another Boxing Hall of Fame occasion, it’s an evolution because now, we not only have boxing, but we also now have mixed martial arts and it’s just a sign of the times. Things are developing for us, what matters is that young Nigerians are given the opportunity to train, to be safe, to be secure and to develop their skills and talent. To be given a chance to really excel and make Nigeria proud both on the world stage as amateurs and even professionals.
President, GAMMA Nigeria, Valentine Moral, lauded the organisers while expressing optimsim in the potential that abound in Nigeria. “This is a very big opportunity for MMA in Nigeria and the entire continent. This is the first time we are having it officially at the African Games, though as a demonstration b
