MMA: Christchurch fighter Fergus Jenkins claims IMMAF middleweight world championship

Fergus Jenkins claimed middleweight gold at the IMMAF world championships in Abu Dhabi. Photo / Instagram

The future has arrived.

After a week-long tournament in Abu Dhabi, Fergus Jenkins has introduced himself to the wider world of mixed martial arts and will return home as a world champion.

The 21-year-old from Christchurch, who goes by the moniker 'The Future', was crowned International Mixed Martial Arts Federation amateur middleweight world champion early on Sunday (NZT), capping off an impressive event with a split decision win in the final.

Jenkins made his intent clear and emerged as an early favourite among pundits through his aggressive and well-rounded approach to the game.

Having trained under coach Karl Webber – who trained UFC star Dan Hooker early in his MMA career – Jenkins wasted no time in making his mark on his first major tournament appearance.

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In his first bout, against a fighter from England, Jenkins claimed a first-round submission win in quick time to book his place in the second round.

There, he met one of the tournament's top seeds in the form of Jordan's Hazem Kayyali. With Kayyali having won a World Cup event in Prague in 2021 in dominant fashion, Jenkins made people take notice as he closed out the upset with a strong decision win.

That victory saw his stocks rise, and he lived up to the new expectations. Jenkins needed just 50 seconds to account for Ireland's Daniel O'Sullivan in his quarter-final bout, wrapping up a rear naked choke to earn the submission, before submitting Paul Buckley, also of Ireland, via D'Arce choke in the semifinal.

In the gold medal match, Jenkins was tested in all areas against Russian Lusup Magomedov, but got the nod from two of the three judges cageside to secure the title.

It's the second time in as many IMMAF world championship tournaments that a Kiwi has left with a title. In 2019, Michelle Montague claimed the women's lightweight title. This year's event was supposed to be held in 2021, but was delayed due to Covid-19.

Montague was in action again this time around, competing in the lighter featherweight division. She claimed a bronze medal, falling to reigning champion Sabrina Laurentina De Sousa, who went on to claim her second title.

Of the other Kiwis to compete, bantamweight Rory O'Keeffe was out-grappled in his opening round match up and lost by decision to fall out of the competition. In the lightweight division, Oliver Schmid suffered a slim split decision loss in the second round, while Mel Webster fell in the semifinals of the women's draw.

In the heavyweight division, Abraham Paku progressed to the quarter-finals before being eliminated, while Alexander Lutu couldn't overcome a tough draw against France's Nell Ariano in his opening bout.