When it comes to media coverage of combat sports in general and youth Mixed Martial Arts specifically, I believe the statement “being in the right place at the right time” is underappreciated. Sometimes, you can witness so many incredible moments that it takes some time to fully comprehend the significance of what you have just witnessed.
So let’s begin by examining Pippa Hawken’s development and her story. When I first met Pippa it was during our inaugural U18 GAMMA Worlds Youth MMA Tournament in Greece. She was clearly adjusting to the pressure of fighting against exceptional athletes like Isabelle Baker and gaining experience of tournament style competition, to now having multiple submissions at the GAMMA Arnold Classic in Ohio.
We can also discuss athletes who deserve a honorable mention, such as Kate Suter, who competes out of Revolution Gym in Kansas. She had three matches in two different brackets and faced some difficult circumstances in her second match, leading many to believe she was done for the day. However, she persevered and fought through a hard-fought match, winning by arm-bar submission despite being in some tough positions on multiple occasions.
As I mentioned earlier, one of the best parts of my job is that I get to see all the action up close and personal from the best seat in the house. With that said, one of the best fights I saw was between Alaina “The Enforcer” Stout of Pantheon Martial Arts in Oklahoma and Willow “Lil Thug” Liles of Carolina Combat Sports & Fitness. What made this matchup so intriguing was the unknown. Since this was my first time watching Alaina Stout compete, based only on appearances, you tend to lean towards Willow Liles, the former World GAMMA champion.
As far as betting odds go, when you have an athlete with a name like “Lil Thug,” you can only think that she is bringing that heat. So What happens when you have an athlete who goes by the name “Enforcer”? There are only fireworks to be had at this point, and that’s exactly what happened in this bout. There was fantastic back-and-forth from hip tosses to submission attempts, which made the fight so exciting it led to Alaina Stout defeating the World Champion so closely that a rivalry was born right away. I can’t wait for the rematch.
The future looks bright for GAMMA and U18 Youth Mixed Martial Arts, so as I always say, Get On Board with GAMMA. As Youth MMA continues to improve with each event and match, more opportunities are beginning to arise in the United States, such as hosting events at the Arnold Classic or hosting our next world event in Jakarta, Indonesia.
