15/05/2025
Thank you for seeing the potential our animation studio had and reaching out to us and creating Bushido: The Way of the Warrior, our first Utobia Original Film.
Your dedication to Sports and Arts is legendary and wish you the best in your future endeavors.
A true Utobian.
𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗵 – 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗠𝗠𝗔 𝗭𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗮
It is with mixed emotions, both pride and a heavy heart, that I announce my resignation as President of MMA Zambia.
When I arrived back in Zambia (the country of my birth) eight years ago, Mixed Martial Arts didn’t exist here - not in any formal or structured sense. I founded 𝙐𝙡𝙚𝙢𝙪 𝙁𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝘼𝙘𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙢𝙮 as a 𝑠𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑗𝑒𝑐𝑡, committed to youth empowerment through sport. That humble initiative became 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘇𝗲𝗿𝗼 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗠𝗠𝗔 𝗶𝗻 𝗭𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗮. It has been the training ground for over 80% of today’s clubs and coaches and is the 𝗽𝗶𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻’𝘀 𝘃𝘂𝗹𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺. It has survived through sacrifice—keeping its doors open was never easy. And yet, because it has become one of the most successful gyms in the country, it is often treated with unfounded suspicion and jealousy.
𝗨𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘂 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸, 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝘁 - 𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀. If anything, Ulemu has been a model for what grassroots, community-driven MMA can look like in Africa.
From this spark we founded MMA Zambia, and over the last four years, as President, I have had the privilege of leading a federation that was built from "ground zero" up. We gained full recognition from the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) in 2021, and in 2022, were honoured to be named Federation of the Year 𝑔𝑙𝑜𝑏𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦—an extraordinary achievement for a young federation from Southern Africa.
I am incredibly proud of how far we’ve come in such a short time. Through 𝗱𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻 𝘂𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗸𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲𝘀, MMA Zambia has proven that Zambia belongs on the international MMA stage. It's built the 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲, 𝗱𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. It's provided pathways to 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘀, certification programs for coaches and officials, and it has laid down innovative 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 that engage communities through programs that 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘃𝘂𝗹𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲.
My hope is that MMA Zambia along with other progressive federations can collectively 𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲, 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵, 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝘀 and the 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗹 𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲, 𝘁𝘄𝗼-𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘂𝗲.
We need to get away from filed away budget submissions, last minute decision making, depleted left over funds and broken hearts - and put in place 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘁 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱, 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. I know that the Ministry is equally invested and working hard towards these same goals - so the joint effort will bear fruit.
To move forward there is important need to acknowledge the current funding shortfalls and their impact on 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀. Only through 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗠𝗠𝗔 𝗭𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗮 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 can Zambia fully realize the 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲.
We have just seen an incredible and historic achievement at the 2025 Africa Championships in Angola.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗭𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗠𝗶𝘅𝗲𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻 𝘂𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 in Luanda, Angola. With only six athletes in attendance—far from a full squad— 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗮𝗹𝘀, 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗼𝗹𝗱, 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝘀𝗶𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘇𝗲. In fact, 𝗭𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗮 𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿 𝗳𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝗶𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗼, 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗱𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗚𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘀, alongside Miracle is another *female pioneer, Mutinta Mweene* - both continue to trailblaze a path for women's MMA in Zambia 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘂𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗳𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗶𝗿𝗹 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱.
However 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘆. The team was originally made up of 25 incredible athletes. 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲, 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲𝘀 (𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝟭𝟰 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝟭𝟲), 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗷𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝗱𝗶𝘂𝗺 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝘀. Due to funding issues the ministry was forced to rescind on its original promise, and the team was cut down to 6 athletes from a team of 30 at the eleventh hour. 𝘄𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗴𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗻. This was the first time the national team has been sorted with flights and it would be ungrateful to not be thankful, but 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝘂𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻 whereby budgets are submitted, correspondence sent, and nothing happens unless extraordinary steps are taken, and even then the promises made can be rescinded on for various internal reasons. I believe that to move forward, 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.
To you the athletes: - 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿. Their dreams matter. But also please recognize that 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. Take inspiration from African icons like Francis Ngannou, Israel Adesanya, and our very own champions, 𝗥𝗼𝗯 𝗦𝗶𝗺𝗯𝗼𝘄𝗲 (Zambias true MMA pioneer), 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗽𝗵𝗿𝗲𝘆 𝗠𝘂𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮 and 𝗞𝗲𝗻 𝗦𝗲𝗸𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘂. These men showed that resilience, focus, and integrity can overcome even the most difficult obstacles. Let's also accept reality - that our sacrifices will ensure that future generations don't have to go through the same hardships in the future.
𝗜 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀: the referees, judges, timekeepers, event organizers, and volunteers who have upheld the integrity of this sport. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀. Thank you—for your time, your expertise, and your unwavering commitment to our sport.
We 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗙𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:
I 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘃𝗮𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 the Presidency, (and this is extremely important), 𝗶𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗻𝗲𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲. What began as a shared mission to grow a sport has, sadly, exposed 𝗮 𝗳𝗲𝘄 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. These individuals have benefited from the very platforms we fought to create -;𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀, 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 - 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆—𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆. If you have a problem with a decision, raise your issue and get clarity from the board.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗠𝗠𝗔 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲. 𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀. 𝗜𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝘁, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝘁, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺. This sport must be protected from ego, envy, and sabotage.
It is at this point that I must thank my, loving and hard working wife, Kabuba Yalenga-Bush. 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗞𝗮𝗯𝘂𝗯𝗮 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝗻𝗼 𝗳𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. Behind the scenes she helped with the registration, administration, strategic planning and implementation, as well as offering emotional support. The pressures exerted by the negative actions of a few put strain on our home life that only a few could overcome. 𝗞𝗮𝗯𝘂𝗯𝗮 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗱𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗵𝗲𝗿 unwaivering support for me or the federation and it's athletes.
I urge all those with a genuine love for this sport to 𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽, 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴. rather than continue the current environment of paranoia, stupidity and rumor that has crippled growth and driven good people away from the board. 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲. And they deserve better.
Over the coming days, the process for submitting 𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺 will be made public, and the date of the Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be announced. 𝗜 𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲.
As I step down, I carry with me only a deep gratitude for the athletes, coaches, officials, clubs, and supporters who have stood by this vision and recognized the true reality of sacrifice and selflessness behind MMA Zambia. You are the reason this federation has become what it is today. And I will always be proud of what we have built—together.
With respect and resolve,
𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗵 𝑂𝑢𝑡𝑔𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑃𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡, 𝑀𝑀𝐴 𝑍𝑎𝑚𝑏𝑖𝑎
MMA Zambia
