CAMO Launches California State Tournament for Amateurs

The California Amateur Mixed Martial Arts Organization Inc. on Thursday unveiled plans for a statewide single-elimination tournament that will culminate with a series of state championship bouts on Dec. 4.

Open to all qualified CAMO fighters, the tournament will encompass 37 events over a three-month period and will crown amateur champions across eight weight classes. Open registration begins on Aug. 7 through the CAMO Web site (www.camo-mma.org), and brackets will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis.

“With a state as a large as California, and with the quality of athletes we have here, the athletes who win this championship are sure to be among MMA’s most elite amateur prospects,” CAMO President JT Steele said in a release.

The event begins on Sept. 11 in the Los Angeles and San Diego regions in southern California and the Sacramento and Bay Area regions in northern California and will continue on Sept. 18, with the launch of the Orange County and San Bernardino regions in southern California and the Central Coast and Central Valley regions in northern California.

CAMO has selected top promoters from each region to host the first and second rounds of the tournament, along with the regional finals: Ed Holmes and Pete Hironaka, of All Star MMA (San Bernardino); Todd Meacham, of Total Fighting Alliance (Los Angeles); Jeff Restivo and Anthony Arias, of California Fight Syndicate (Central Coast); Jason Weiner, of JW Event (Central Valley); Shawn Fowler, of Grappling X (San Diego); and Enrique Perez, of Rebel Fighter (Sacramento). CAMO has not yet settled on the promoters who will handle the Orange County and Bay Area regions.

“We’re very excited to be putting on this major event,” Steele said. “All the promoters we’re working with are very well qualified to deliver successful high-quality events and make this inaugural state championship something extremely special.”