Paul Reed, Rygor owner director said: “Health and wellbeing are a real passion of mine. Personally, I love training and living a balanced lifestyle and as a business owner, I want my team to also have opportunities available to them for self-care and wellbeing. This is why we introduced Rygor’s Wellness Programme in 2018 which offers our team members virtual wellness coffee breaks, fitness challenges, team competitions, free wellness tools, employee assistance programmes and much more.

“As a business we wanted to take it further, by supporting grass-roots organisations which really help young athletes be able to compete in sports they love, like MMA. This year, the Rygor business helped support the English MMA Association, which is a not-for-profit organisation, through the procurement of kits, media supply, venue hire as well as other day to day things, to help the Association continue to build a fantastic platform for MMA in the country,” Paul added.

The IMMAF Amateur World Championships sees more than 400 competitors from 40+ countries compete for the chance to win gold, silver and bronze medals across different weight categories in Junior and Senior divisions.

“The benefits of sport are numerous. Not only is it great for our physical and mental wellbeing, but it also creates a sense of teamwork and camaraderie. It teaches us how to respect each other, to have focus and to work hard. For many of the young people who participate in MMA at an amateur level in the UK, it gives them something to aim for and be proud of, a stability in their lives and way to help them make good choices,” Paul said.

The Championships took place from January 25 to January 30. “It was an incredible week for everyone involved and it was a real privilege to be able to support the young athletes of Team England MMA,” Paul added.

Dan Hardy, Rygor wellness ambassador and founding board member of the English MMA Association, said: “When I was coming up through the sport there was nothing like the IMMAF Amateur World Championships available to help encourage young amateur athletes. With this tournament, we now have an international event where amateur MMA athletes can participate in a competitive arena and in a sport which they could potentially do professionally one day. It also puts them alongside coaches who can inspire them and help them achieve their sporting goals. This sport, and this event itself, helps support up and coming young athletes. What an incredible opportunity for these young, talented people to be able to represent their country in a sport they love and thanks to Paul from Rygor for supporting Team England MMA.”