France’s Number 2 MMA star Ibrahima Mane becomes Gambian international
The Gambia now has an official place in international Mixed martial arts MMA. He is 34-year-old Ibrahima Mane. Born in France Mane took interest in MMA at age six, and has never looked back. Now ranked Number 2 in France and 187 in the world, Ibrahima feels he should formally give his service to his country of ancestry-The Gambia, where is parents, Foday and Aisha Mane come from.” I have been unofficially representing Gambia at several MMA events including ones held in South Africa, Italy, Bahrain among other places. Each time they class me as a French man, I always insist I am representing Gambia,” Ibrahima told The Standard just after being handed the Gambia flag by the National Sports Council, NSC.
The NSC executive director Marcel Mendy handed the national flag to Ibrahima yesterday with a pledge for national support and encouragement. Mixed martial arts is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world.
Ibrahima prefers and has excelled tremendously in ground fighting, close to boxing. He currently welterweight (77kg) and working on securing a belt in the near future.’
He told The Standard he naturally loves fighting since he was very small, much to the annoyance of his mother who had always worried about her son’s passion for fighting. ”So, I decided to transform my early life fighting skills to a profession,” Ibrahima said.
