Red Deerian Jett Grande won the IMMAF Pan American Amateur Championship in Nassau, Bahamas last week after his opponent from the Czech Republic backed out due to injury.(MMA Empire on Facebook)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

mixed martial arts

Red Deer MMA fighter wins latest amateur title in Bahamas

May 20, 2019 | 12:03 PM

An amateur mixed martial artist from Red Deer is celebrating after a big victory at the 2019 IMMAF Pan American Championships in Nassau, Bahamas.

Jett Grande, who is just 21, actually won the final by forfeit after his competitor had to withdraw due to injury, but he says it feels to good to take home the title nonetheless.

“It means a lot to me as it gets me one step closer to preparing me for winning the 2019 IMMAF World Championships in November back in Bahrain, as well as proving I am one of the top amateurs in the world,” he says.

“The international amateur mixed martial arts scene is some of the highest level athletes you will see in any amateur sport.”

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Grande will compete next in the IMMAF European Championships in Rome on June 18. He says that competition could give him the exposure he needs to be signed by a professional organization.

To win in Nassau, Grande defeated American Joel Geders by unanimous decision 30-27, then beat Colombia’s Jose Sanchez by second round submission, before winning the final by default.

“I want to recognize that none of this would be possible without the support of my sponsors,” he adds.

“I have amazing support from my sponsors who believe in me both financially and emotionally. MMA is a very demanding and expensive sport to pursue and without them I would not be able to have the opportunity to go to all of these international championships.”

Grande began fighting in MMA when he was 17, and participated in his first Brazilian jiu-jitsu and wrestling comps at the age of 13.

He has an amateur record of 15-0, and is the current Canadian Havoc Fighting Championship Amateur Lightweight Champion, Canadian XFFC Amateur Lightweight Champion, Canadian National Amateur Welterweight Champion, and IMMAF Pan American Amateur Welterweight Champion, as well as the IMMAF 2018 Jr World Champion.

Grande is ranked #1 out of 140 active amateur welterweight fighters in Canada, and trains out of Red Deer’s Arashi Do martial arts school.