Bayelsa State has emerged overall winner of the second Sunday Dare National Mixed Martial Arts Open Championship held in Yenagoa, finishing ahead of 26 other participating states.
According to The PUNCH, the host state topped the medals table with 15 medals, comprising eight gold, three silver and four bronze at the Bayelsa MMA championship.
Delta State finished second with 12 medals, including five gold, four silver and three bronze.
Enugu State placed third with three gold, six silver and three bronze medals.
Bayelsa dominates national MMA championship
The tournament attracted more than 200 athletes from 27 states and served as a qualifying competition for the 23rd National Sports Festival. Notably, the event was part of the Bayelsa MMA championship series.
The festival is scheduled to take place in Enugu State from November 27 to December 11, 2026.
Akwa Ibom State won three gold medals, while Imo and Lagos secured one gold medal each.
The championship provided an opportunity for participating athletes to demonstrate their abilities ahead of the national competition, and the Bayelsa MMA championship played a key role in raising the competition level.
Bayelsa targets National Sports Festival success
Speaking during the closing ceremony, Bayelsa Deputy Governor Peter Akpe praised the state’s athletes for their performances.
Akpe described mixed martial arts as an increasingly important sport and expressed confidence that Bayelsa would achieve further success at the National Sports Festival.
He also commended officials of the Nigeria Mixed Martial Arts Federation for securing the sport’s inclusion in the festival.
The federation’s Grand Patron, Sunday Dare, welcomed the development, describing it as a milestone for mixed martial arts in Nigeria.
Dare explained that efforts to secure official recognition for the sport had begun during his tenure as Minister of Sports.
Federation President Henry George said the successful championship demonstrated Bayelsa’s capacity to host major sporting competitions like the Bayelsa MMA championship.
Bayelsa Commissioner for Sports Development Daniel Igali also praised the tournament, expressing confidence that the state would dominate the mixed martial arts events at the forthcoming National Sports Festival.
“I am elated that Mixed Martial Arts has been included in the 23rd National Sports Festival in Enugu. Let me thank the president and the grand patron for this laudable achievement. I am confident that Bayelsa will win 30 gold medals out of the 32 available in the sport, while other states will compete for the remaining medals,” Igali said.
His prediction highlighted Bayelsa’s ambitions ahead of the national competition, where the state will seek to build on its impressive performance at the Bayelsa MMA championship.
The tournament concluded with organisers expressing optimism about the continued development of mixed martial arts in Nigeria.
