BY MUNYARADZI MADZOKERE Zimbabwe’s only representative at the 2022 International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) Africa championships made an impressive start to the competition after reaching the semi-finals in the lightweight category following victory over South African Allistar in Johannesburg on Thursday morning.
Mataya fought in the seventh bout on the opening day of the developmental continental championship which is being hosted by Mixed Martial Arts South Africa (MMASA), in partnership with the EFC Performance Institute.
The former Zimbabwe taekwondo national champion faces Namibian Geraldo Bok in tomorrow’s semi-finals as he bids to reach the final of the competition in his first attempt.
Bok accounted for Vedaman Canee from Mauritius in the quarterfinal in his last-eight bout.
The finals and medals ceremony are set for Saturday
IMMAF is staging its first closed tournament on the continent and the event features fighters from countries such as Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mauritius, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Tunisia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
