By Ibrahim S. Bangura
Freetown | September 2026 — The Sierra Leone Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and Jujitsu Association has taken training outdoors in a bid to popularise martial arts and empower young people, staging a public session at Zala Gas Station in the east of Freetown.
The event brought together MMA practitioners and coaches who demonstrated stretching, punching, kicking, blocking, and groundwork techniques before curious onlookers. Organisers said the initiative aims to raise awareness and dispel misconceptions that martial arts is only about fighting.
National MMA Coach and IFK Karate Country Representative, John D. S. Bangura, described martial arts as a discipline that transforms both body and mind. “Martial arts as a whole is a training with a real transformation. It transforms both the body and the mind,” he told Premier News.
Bangura emphasized that regular training promotes fitness, emotional control, self‑discipline, and wellbeing, while helping young people avoid drugs and negative influences. He stressed that martial artists are trained for discipline, not street fighting: “Wi nor dae fet na street because wi dae for bi discipline an responsible pipul dem.”
Bangura, who began karate in 2000 and holds a second‑dan black belt in Shotokan, has trained in Kyokushin, Taekwondo, Judo, and Kung Fu, and competed in Sierra Leone, Mali, and Senegal. He is expected to attend an international seminar on Kyokushin, MMA, and K‑1 with instructors from Russia, Tunisia, the UK, and other countries.
Technical Head Musa Kaba, with seven years in the sport, said outdoor training is vital to expose the public to MMA’s benefits. “We want to expose the sport, because people don’t know the benefits of the sport,” he noted, citing health, self‑defence, discipline, patience, and personal development.
Kaba praised MMA President Saidu Sesay for supporting the discipline despite living abroad, saying his international experience is helping Sierra Leonean youth access opportunities to compete nationally and internationally.
The Association confirmed it will continue monthly outdoor sessions to expand MMA and encourage more young Sierra Leoneans to embrace martial arts. Participants expressed gratitude to the coaches and leadership for the opportunity.