Support the United States Team in Pankration & MMA

(PRESS RELEASE) -- The 2011 United States Pankration National Championships and World Team Trails will determine the US National Team for the 2011 FILA World Championships of Pankration and MMA. This will be the 5th FILA World Championships for Pankration and the 1st for Amateur MMA, also known as "FILA Combat Grappling". Last year over 40 nations were represented at the World Championships which featured Grappling and Pankration. The United States placed 1st in Grappling and 3rd in Pankration sending four athletes to the 2010 World Combat Games in China, an epic Olympic level event of 13 combative sports with participating athletes receiving an all expense paid trip to compete in Bejing.

The US National Championships are open to all athletes regardless of style, school or affiliation. The competitor who wins his/her weight class at the World Team Trials will have first choice to be the US representative for the Worlds and the coach with the most winning athletes will be selected as the US National Team Coach. ** (Must meet eligibility requirements such as US Citizen, no more than 4 professional fights (for athletes) and adhere to the USA Pankration code of Conduct and FILA anti doping testing requirements).

This year the Senior (adult) United States team will compete at the World Championships in Serbia late September and USA Pankration will offer financial assistance to each National Champion in the amount of $60 multiplied by each participant at the trials with $1000 going to divisions with a full bracket. Each nation may enter only one athlete per weight class and funded USA Team members are expected to compete in both the Pankration and MMA/Combat Grappling divisions. USA Wrestling will have a separate World Team Trails for Grappling (Gi and No Gi) and enter a team in those disciplines. Only National Federations sanctioned by FILA, under the IOC, may enter athletes to the World Championships. In the United States these federations are USA Wrestling and USA Pankration.

The Youth and Veterans (over 35yrs) World Championships in Grappling, Pankration and MMA are scheduled for November 2011 in Hungry. Past Youth and Veteran World Championships had athletes compete in all disciplines and national federations were able to enter multiple athletes per age/weight group so all participants from the National Championships will have an opportunity to compete at the Youth and Veteran World Championships.These spots will not be directly funded by USA Pankration but sponsors for the team are being sought.

FILA is exploring entering either Mixed Martial Arts, Pankration or Grappling into the Olympic Games as an additional discipline of Wrestling and not a new sport.This is the fast track and only realistic way any of these sports can gain entry into the Olympics. Many European and Asian athletes benefit from state supported National Federations. USA Pankration is a IRS 501 c 3 non profit Amateur Sports Organization with the sole goal of fostering National and International Competition for Pankration and MMA/ Combat Grappling. All board members are volunteers and all proceeds from the National Championships go to fund the United States team in World Championship Competition. We welcome any sponsors interested in providing additional funds for athletes, aiding in their travel to the World Championships. All donations are tax deductable.

Additional information on the US National Championships and World Team Trails is at this link: www.fightleague.org/Events.php