The amateur MMA tournament, organised by the Brave Combat Federation in association with the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF), will see Oceania, Ireland, Mexico, Arab Champions, Kazakhstan, Balkan Champions, Bahrain, and Tajikistan participate.

A last-minute change saw Oceania replace the Russian Mixed Martial Arts Union (RMMAU) after the RMMAU was suspended by the IMMAF for the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

Mexico took Ukraine’s spot due to the team being part of their country’s defence against Russia.

The first match of the tournament sees Oceania, which is comprised of Australia and New Zealand, take on Ireland.

New Zealand is ranked fifth in the IMMAF standings while Australia is the world number six.

Between them, they won a gold, silver, and bronze at the IMMAF World Championships 2021.

Their team consists of seven men and two women across weight divisions, including New Zealand’s multiple-time IMMAF medallist Michelle Montague, compatriot Troy Fumo, and Australia’s Auryn Parmley and Prashanth Guda.

Fumo is the 2020 Oceania gold medallist while Parmley took bronze in the same year.

Gruda won gold in the 2019 edition.

Ireland’s team consist of nine male athletes - two of which are substitutes - and two female competitors with one female substitute.

Their best chance of a medal is Jordan Furey, who has a record of six wins and one loss.

The winner of this tie will meet either Mexico or the Arab Champions.

The Mexicans, who are ranked 14^th in the world rankings, have produced results before with Valeria Gomez taking silver and Diego Torres securing bronze at the 2021 World Championships.

Hazam Kayyali of Jordan, who achieved gold at the 2021 Prague World Cup, is the most-notable member of the Arab Champions' team, which is comprised of 10 athletes from seven countries in total.

They have representatives from Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and Tunisia.

On the other side of the bracket, Kazakhstan will face the Balkan Champions.

Kazakhstan, who are ranked third in the world, is spearheaded by seven-time IMMAF medallist Ayan Tursyn.

The 27-year-old's collection of accolades includes a silver at the 2017 Asian Games and gold at the 2019 edition.

The overall strength of Kazakhstan is shown through their four golds, seven silvers and 12 bronzes at the World Championships in January.

Kazakhstan has seven men, plus two reserves, and two female competitors alongside one reserve.

On the other hand, the Balkan Champions' team of eight are a wildcard team and do not have much experience.

The final match-up is between Bahrain and Tajikistan.

Ramazan Gitinov and Sabrina Laurentina de Sousa, who are the IMMAF’s number one ranked men’s and women’s fighters, headline the team for the hosts.

Gitinov has won five IMMAF gold medals across the 2019 and 2021 World Championships, 2019 and 2021 European Championships and the 2020 Oceania Open.

Meanwhile, Laurentina de Sousa championed at the 2019 and 2021 World Championships, as well as the 2021 European Championships, to put her IMMAF title tally at three.

Overall, Bahrain has nine athletes for the men’s, including two reserves, and two competitors for the women’s weight divisions.

Tajikistan’s line-up has seven male athletes, and one male reserve, and two female athletes, with one reserve.

The winners of the competition will be awarded $100,000 (£74,000/€87,000) while runners-up will secure $75,000 (£55,000/€65,000).

Third-place teams will be handed $50,000 (£37,000/€44,000) for their efforts.

The semi-finals are set to be staged on March 10 and the medal matches are due to take place on March 12.