THE 2015 EUROPEAN AMATEUR MMA Championships, which were hosted by the International Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) in Birmingham, concluded yesterday and the event marked another significant step in the right direction for the sport in Ireland.
With athletes from both the Republic and Northern Ireland represented, a total of seven medals — including two golds — are making their way back to these shores.
Straight Blast Gym coach John Kavanagh was calling the shots from the corner as Ben Forsyth took gold in the men’s light-heavyweight division following a second-round TKO of Hungary’s Balaze Kiss. SBG’s Tommy Martin and Lee Hammond also both won bronze after reaching the lightweight semi-finals.
Irish duo Dave Fogarty (flyweight) and Ryan Spillane (heavyweight) also made it to the last-four of their respective divisions to win bronze medals.
Representing Northern Ireland, Leah McCourt overcame Finland’s Mia Isola via unanimous decision to secure the gold medal in the women’s lightweight division, while Ross McCoriston picked up a silver medal after a split-decision loss in the men’s featherweight final against Sweden’s Joel Moya Schondorff.
