Baku to Host 2026 Grappling, Pankration, Amateur MMA World Championships

BAKU, Azerbaijan (August 19) -- United World Wrestling will host the Grappling, Amateur MMA and Pankration World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, from November 23 to 29.

As part of its efforts to promote and develop associated styles, UWW will host the World Championships in Grappling, Amateur MMA and Pankration at the same venue in Baku. The detailed competition programme and schedule will be announced in due course.

The Grappling World Championships across all age categories will be held as part of the same event. Last year, the Senior World Championships ​was held separately from the age-group Grappling World Championships. This year’s competition will feature U15, U17, U20 and Senior categories.

 

 

 

 

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The Pankration World Championships will feature U15 and U17 athletes while Amateur MMA World Championships will be competed in the U20 and Senior categories.

Ahead of the championships, UWW will also conduct a referees’ seminar covering Grappling, Pankration and Amateur MMA.

The Baku event will cap a year in which UWW has hosted both the European and Asian Championships in Grappling and Amateur MMA. The European Championships was held in Yerevan, Armenia, while the Asian Championships took place in Da Nang, Vietnam.