Blessing Onyeali was one of the Mixed Martial Arts, MMA, fighters who represented Nigeria at the just concluded 13th African Games in Ghana. Although Mixed Martial Arts was categorised as a demonstration sport at the Games, Onyeali and three of her compatriots – all male, did the needful to put Nigeria firmly, among African nations that practice Mixed Martial Arts.
While her male counterparts won one silver and two bronze medals, Blessing led the medal hunt and fetched a precious gold medal for Nigeria.
“I could not contain my joy. I was like crazy, in fact, people thought I was running mad. I felt fulfilled, even though I knew it was a demonstration sport, that I won a gold medal, meant that I was the best in my weight category in Africa.
“I felt on top of the world. I slept with my medal hung on my neck,” she told journalists in Lagos on their return from Ghana.
For Aziba Martin, Accra 2023 African Games threw up a fresh challenge which he confronted headlong. In his words, “It was a very big experience because I fought in a category that was a little bit higher than my weight class. I hadn’t fought in the light-heavyweight category before.
” And for a middleweight to perform that far, up to winning a silver medal shows that my training skills and abilities were top-notch.”
The other two gladiators are John Obeya Odah in the welterweight category and Freddy Destiny a lightweight fighter both won bronze medals.
Ambassador Henry George, the suave President of the Mixed Martial Arts Federation of Nigeria is a proud man today, after leading his young federation to a milestone at the African Games in Ghana.
George said he was not bothered that the sport was only a demonstration sport at the Games. “My only regret was that we took only four athletes to Ghana because that was the number the ministry approved for us.
“Happily, all of them returned with medals. At the next Games in Egypt, we hope to go with a bigger team and win more medals for Nigeria.”