Standouts of the 2025 IMMAF World Championships in Tbilisi
Tbilisi hosted the 2025 IMMAF World Championships, turning the Georgian capital into the center of the amateur MMA world for six days. Fighters from around the globe filled the city’s arena, each chasing a world title and a chance to prove they belong among the sport’s future stars.
The IMMAF World Championships have long served as the proving ground for tomorrow’s champions, where grit, skill, and composure under pressure reveal who is ready to rise into the professional ranks. This year was no different — from dominant veterans to unexpected breakout performers, the 2025 tournament delivered a slate of standout amateurs who left Tbilisi with gold, buzz, and real momentum.
Gadzhi Gadzhiev – Super Middleweight, Bahrain
Some fighters chase titles. Others build dynasties. Gadzhi Gadzhiev continues to do the latter.
The Bahraini standout completed a near-flawless run through the Super Middleweight division. Securing his 5th IMMAF World Championship, a feat rarely seen in amateur MMA. Gadzhiev fought with the poise of a seasoned professional. Blending disciplined striking with the kind of suffocating pressure that breaks opponents over three rounds. His final bout was a masterclass. Facing a powerful Kazakh opponent, Gadzhiev thwarted every attempt from his opponent and cruised to a decision.
Gimbat Magomedov – Super Welterweight, Bahrain
Gimbat Magomedov’s rise has been unbelievable. The Bahraini prodigy captured his third consecutive IMMAF World Championship. He navigated a crowded Super Welterweight bracket with a blend of precision striking and relentless grappling. Magomedov fought four times in four days, each bout a test of stamina and durability.
His final was his toughest, standing across from the hometown favorite inside a roaring Georgian arena. Magomedov displayed beautiful counter striking and controlling the clinch in a tight split decision win. With three straight world titles and 30 amateur bouts under his belt, he’s ready to transition into high-level professional competition.
Zafarjon Asatov – Featherweight, Uzbekistan
In 2024, Asatov made his amateur debut and captured the featherweight championship. Now, in 2025, it’s more of the same. The undefeated Uzbek featherweight stormed through a five-fight schedule over the course of the tournament. Asatov showed exceptional endurance and versatility, pairing tactical decision wins with a punishing semifinal TKO over fellow undefeated contender Marat Ashimtayev.
Perhaps most impressive was his quarterfinal victory over a hard-charging Georgian Beka Shainidze. With the crowd roaring against him, Asatov was able to stay calculated. He forced the fight into his rhythm and shut down the local favorite’s aggression.
His unanimous decision in the finals proved he’s one of the most well-rounded and composed amateur featherweights.
Spartak Mikayelyan – Super Lightweight, Armenia
Perhaps one of my favorite names of the IMMAF tournament was Armenia’s Spartak Mikayelyan.
In IMMAF, it’s somewhat rare to see success from a fighter training out of an American gym. Elevation Fight Team’s Mikaylyan broke out on the scene this year. Mikayelyan fought five times, showcasing his adaptability across every performance. Early wins came through slick grappling. A quarterfinal nail-biter pushed his resilience. A semifinal stoppage demonstrated his fight-ending instincts. Mikayelyan dug deep and secured a third-round rear-naked choke to win gold over Nigeria’s Benjamin Edozie. It was definitely one of the tournament’s premier highlight moments; a champion crowning himself with a finish on the biggest amateur stage in the world.
Vincent Yerly – Light Heavyweight, Switzerland
Representing Switzerland, Yerly pieced together a composed three-win march to the world title, relying on his fundamentals and savvy distance management. His semifinal win highlighted his heart, and in the final he used movement and cagework to shut down Poland’s Łukasz Makowski, earning Switzerland’s first-ever IMMAF Light Heavyweight World Championship.
Joe Frodsham – Bantamweight, England
After suffering a loss to former IMMAF champion Madiyar Serikbay, back in 2024, Joe Frodsham made his return to the tournament this year, emerging from a stacked Bantamweight division. Frodsham went undefeated across five bouts, finding two excellent submissions and a 3rd Round TKO that propelled him into the final. In the final, he faced Marc Cabrera, who currently fights under Illia Topuria’s WOW promotion in Spain, and was able to secure a unanimous decision victory in a hard fought championship. England’s Joe Frodsham entered the tournament as an underdog and left Tbilisi as a world champion with momentum and a growing profile.
Benjamin Edozie – Super Lightweight, Nigeria
Perhaps the most emotional run of the tournament belonged to Nigeria’s Benjamin Edozie.
As Nigeria’s first-ever IMMAF World Championships representative, Edozie exceeded expectations, winning four straight unanimous decisions to reach the Super Lightweight final against Spartak Mikayelyn. It marked a major breakthrough for African MMA.
He ultimately lost in the finals, but his silver-medal run made history. In the process, Edozie showed how global and competitive amateur MMA has become, proving that future stars can emerge from anywhere.
Anna Hyria – Strawweight, Ukraine
On the women’s side, Ukrainian strawweight Anna Hyria delivered one of the event’s most polished campaigns, securing her second straight IMMAF world title.
Hyria’s striking was sharp, her grappling smooth, and her composure elite. She controlled every bout, including a calm, disciplined decision win in the finals. Even more impressive, she submitted four straight opponents on her way to the title, giving her nine submissions in her first nine amateur fights. As a result, her back-to-back championships reinforced what many already believed: Hyria is one of the most complete female amateur fighters in the world.
The Future on Display
The IMMAF Worlds in Tbilisi offered a snapshot of where MMA is headed. From hardened veterans stacking up titles to breakout names carving their place in the sport, the 2025 tournament delivered everything fans expect from the world’s premier amateur platform.
In a sport where today’s amateurs become tomorrow’s stars, the athletes who shone in Georgia could soon light up professional cards around the world. Their performances in Tbilisi showed that the future of MMA is in capable hands.
Thank you Nicholas. Very good analysis of these fighters. Love the call out of Armenia’s Spartak Mikayelyan. I also like the name Gadzhi Gadzhiev. You are correct that the future of MMA is in very good hands. Look forward to reading future articles from you. Thanks again.
Good insight- looking forward to seeing these athletes progress.
This is a great write-up — insightful, well-structured, and grounded in the context that often gets overlooked in tournament recaps. I especially liked how you highlighted Anna Hyria’s dominant run and gave the women’s side of the tournament the same depth and attention as the men. A lot of credit to the author for presenting the 2025 IMMAF Worlds with such clarity and depth.
Good read.. Informative and enlightening views on the Fighters and the sport. Thank you to the Writer!
MMA truly is a world sport! Spectacular!
The amateur fight scene is one to keep your eye on. These tournaments are super interesting to read about. Great info on fighters you might not hear a lot about. Cool to hear about them as they start out in the sport.
Writing of author, Holt, about the Standouts of the 2025 IMMAF World Championships in Tbilisi is outstanding. I am a fan of MMA. However, when I saw length of Holt’s article, I was discouraged to read it totally. I began and was quickly absorbed by Holt’s words/phrases. I read the article from beginning to end without leaving my chair. Author Holt places the reader in the setting and excitement of the event he’s reading.
Wow! Very well written and informative. Looking forward to more writing by this author.
Thanks
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