Abuja: Emmanuel Benard and Victoria Uduak on Sunday emerged top winners in the men’s and women’s categories at the Akalaka Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event in Abuja.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, 16 fighters thrilled fans at the Akalaka Spirit of the Warrior showdown at the 21 Arena, National Council for Arts and Culture. The fight night, tagged ‘Battle of Gwarinpa’, featured bouts in featherweight, bantamweight, lightweight, and strawweight divisions.
The headline bout saw Emmanuel ‘Knockout Machine’ Benard face Yakubu ‘Black Scorpion’ Solomon. Benard won the best male fighter award after defeating Solomon by unanimous decision in the -61kg bantamweight bout, adjudged the best fight of the night. Benard attributed his victory to discipline, strategy, and experience against a determined opponent. ‘I stayed focused and trusted my training. My opponent was strong, but strategy made the difference,’ he said. He dedicated the win to his coach and fans who travelled from Lagos.
Victoria ‘The Hunter’ Uduak
emerged victorious in the co-main event, defeating Blessing ‘Chibok Girl’ Shettima by first-round technical knockout (TKO) in the 65kg featherweight division, earning the best female fighter award.
In other bouts, Nasirudeen Abdulkareem defeated Sunday George by first-round TKO in the men’s 61kg bantamweight category. Balikis Quadri beat Cynthia Philips with a rear naked choke in the second round of the women’s -53kg strawweight division. Michael Dawodu defeated Destiny Ekpo via second-round TKO in the men’s 66kg featherweight division. Joseph James and David Ezekiel recorded a draw in the men’s 70kg lightweight category after scoring 74 points each. Christopher Swande submitted Cornelius Godpower via triangle choke in the men’s 60kg bantamweight category. Peter Onuh defeated Goodluck Opara by first-round TKO in the men’s 67kg featherweight division.
President of Akalaka, Dr Ebere Benard, highlighted the event’s role in promoting youth development and discipline. He stated that MMA helps redirect youths fr
om social vices to productive ventures and provides a platform to discover and nurture talent. Benard, also the Nigeria Mixed Martial Arts Federation (NMMAF) Youth Development Director, emphasized the importance of martial arts in promoting honour, restraint, discipline, and peace beyond competition. He called for unity and urged leaders to embrace dialogue and peaceful conflict resolution.
Idowu Olusareyo, CEO of Option A International, sponsor of the event, commended the organisers for promoting grassroots sports and providing a platform for emerging Nigerian MMA athletes. He noted it was Akalaka’s third MMA outing in Abuja. Abubakar Marwa of Marwa Self Defence, a technical partner, praised the success of the fight night and the excitement it brought to the city of Abuja.