Amanzimtoti Protea fighter wins silver at world championship

DEMI-Shaye Thomas, a Protea mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter from Bushido MMA Gym, is still in disbelief after winning a silver medal at the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) World Championships in Uzbekistan, where she proudly represented her country.

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Held from November 5 to 10, the championships featured the best amateur MMA athletes from around the world.
Demi-Shaye was part of a five-person South African team coached by her father, Greg Thomas. The other team members were Genevieve Tuson, Kiara Fegen, Obakeng Mahura and JJ Karagiannidis.

The IMMAF World Championships is the premier global stage for the toughest and most skilled amateur mixed martial artists.

Demi-Shaye said representing South Africa and winning the medal was her biggest achievement – apart from her academic achievements.

“It has been a long journey to get to this place and I never thought that I would represent the country at what we consider the Olympic games of our sport. The fact that I brought back a silver medal for my country is incredible,” she said.

The Protea team could have been bigger, but lack of sponsorship saw it go from 29 members to just the five who were able to get sponsors to cover the travelling costs.

Also read: Toti High’s MMA fighters compete in Gauteng

Demi-Shaye is the reigning 2024 IMMAF Africa featherweight women’s champion. She said she loved the fact that MMA was growing among women as teams from other countries had more women than in previous years. Of the five South African fighters who participated, three were female. She encouraged women to take up MMA as a sport or for self-defense purposes.

Protea head coach, Greg, said the tournament was well-organised and well-structured. Even the lights and entertainment were UFC-level and the atmosphere was thrilling.

“There’s no way any athlete that goes to an event of that size and quality does not grow,” said Greg.

South Africa came eighth out of 23 countries with one gold, one silver and one bronze medals. Greg thanked all his fighters for a job well done.

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