#AmateurMMA, #Pankration

U15, U17, U20 Pankration & Amateur MMA World C'ships 2025 Guide

Thursday, October 30, 2025 - 15:58 By United World Wrestling Press

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LOUTRAKI, Greece (October 30) -- The Pankration World Championships in U15 and U17 age-group and Amateur MMA World Championships in U20 will be held in Loutraki, Greece from November 5 to 9.

In Amateur MMA for U20 men's and women's, the weight classes will be:

U20 Men's: 57kg, 62kg, 66kg, 71kg, 77kg, 84kg, 93kg, 100kg, 130kg
U20 Women's: 50kg, 53kg, 57kg, 61kg, 65kg, 70kg, 75kg, 80kg, 90kg

Amateur MMA

Pankration, to be held in U15 and U17, will see the following weight classes:

U17 Men's: 57kg, 62kg, 66kg, 71kg, 77kg, 84kg, 93kg, 100kg, 120kg, +120kg
U17 Women's: 50kg, 53kg, 57kg, 62kg, 66kg, 71kg, 77kg, +77kg

U15 Men's: 53kg, 57kg, 62kg, 66kg, 71kg, 77kg, 84kg, +84kg
U15 Women's: 50kg, 53kg, 57kg, 62kg, 66kg, 71kg, +71 kg

The schedule for the Pankration and Amateur MMA Championships is available here: CLICK HERE

UWW and Iran sign MoU to bring Chouke under Associated Styles

Sunday, April 20, 2025 - 13:07 By United World Wrestling Press

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (April 20) — United World Wrestling and the Iran Wrestling Federation took a significant step to promote Choukhe, signing a four-year Memorandum of Understanding.

The MoU will enable both organizations to work together to promote and protect Chouke, a traditional form of wrestling, under the UWW Associated Styles.

Both UWW and the Iranian federation will also work to develop Chouke under their umbrella. This agreement's objective is to facilitate the protection, development, and promotion of Chouke. As per the agreement, both parties will hold regular meetings to exchange ideas and share knowledge.

Chouke is a traditional form of wrestling in Iran with wrestlers performing on mud in a marked circular ring. Each bout is of five minutes with more than one bout conducted at the same time. In case of a tie with a one-minute break, three minutes of extra time are added. Within three minutes, the wrestler who earns the first point will be the winner.

This style of wrestling does not allow the wrestler to touch his opponent's legs. The bout can only be fought with grips above the waist. There are different ways to score points in Chouke.

One point is awarded for a takedown, two points are awarded if a throw is completed outside the ring, and one if completed inside. Most other moves award only one point. A fall occurs when even one shoulder touches the ground.

Both wrestlers have to wear the official clothes to compete in Chouke. A t-shirt, a special jacket and a short are considered to be official outfit. The shirt must be long enough to go below the waist and the sleeves be long till the elbow. A strong cloth belt must be tied around the waist of the wrestlers and is fixed at the back and the wrestlers compete barefoot.

The old form of wrestling has a special place in Iranian history, and the agreement will help with its growth and development in Iran. UWW's commitment to work closely with the Iran federation for Chouke is in line with its vision to grow and promote all the traditional forms of the oldest form of the sport.