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AFC Aiming to Transform Abuja into Africa’s Mixed Martial Arts Capital
Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja
The owners of AFC have said they want to make Abuja, Africa’s hotspot of Mixed Martial Arts.
Co-founder of AFC, George Oladipupo Younes, echoed this philosophy at the weekend at the MMA National Championship held at the Velodrome, National Stadium, Abuja.
The event, organised with his partner Rada Aswani and brother Christopher Younes, was to promote martial sport in the country.
He described AFC 001 as the beginning of a lot of amazing things to come for Abuja, the fighters and for mixed martial arts in Nigeria as a whole.
“It’s a dream come true being able to not just host this event in my city, in the capital city, but also to be able to stand in the centre of the octagon and talk about these fighters who have become my friends.
“This main AFC 001 is just the beginning of a lot more things to come, not just for the city, but for the fighters themselves and mixed martial arts in Nigeria as a whole,” said the Swiss-born Younes.
He added that the programme will attempt to provide opportunities for Nigerian university undergraduates, who may wish to pursue mixed martial arts as a career.
He identified passion as motivation for promoting mixed martial arts sport, saying his younger brother grew up wanting to be a fighter.
“He spent a lot of time developing and honing his skills and when he came back here, they would find many opportunities to follow that path to his career, and as well as it now being a sanctioned sport under the Ministry of Sport. So, we have been given this opportunity now to promote a sport, not just for him, but for every other young Nigerian and African in the region to develop this as a career, ” Younes said.
Speaking on the partnership, the President of the Nigerian Mixed Martial Arts Federation, Ambassador Henry George said he was excited to have the event in Abuja to collaborate and show a strong partnership with AFC.
George thanked AFC for discussing on how best to promote and give opportunities to the athletes and for promising to equip the national gyms where athletes can come for national events.
“So, it means a lot to us. MMA is a sport that has gained a mainstream audience. And Nigerians are at the forefront of this, having the sport they love. So, as a federation, this is a very important step that matters to us,” George said.
