Meet the Swedish MMA National Team competing in the World Championships!

The Swedish National MMA Team. Photo via IMMAF and Chris Önnerby

The 2023 IMMAF World Championships will take place at the Tirana Olympic Park venue in Tirana, Albania, between Monday November 20 to Saturday November 25.

The championships include tournaments for Seniors and Juniors, and holds six weight divisions for female athletes, from atomweight to lightweight, and ten for male athletes, from strawweight to super heavyweight.

All five days of competition will be streamed on IMMAF.TV, for fans all over the world.

The Swedish National MMA Team

Sweden will send a talented squad of 10 fighters to the championships, featuring both promising juniors and seasoned seniors.

With fighters like Hanna Palmquist, Astrid Vikgren and Rafael Kveldstad, Sweden has good chances to win medals in several weight classes.

Click “Next” to check out the full Swedish squad!

Astrid Vikgren, senior, 52,2 kilo

Astrid Vikgren. Photo: IMMAF

Grappling specialist Astrid Vikgren is a veteran in the Swedish National Team and competes at 52,2 kilo.

She took a silver medal as a junior in the European Championships and fought in the 2022 World Cup in Serbia in February.

Could this be the year Vikgren gets her first international gold medal?

Hanna Palmquist, senior, 56,7 kilo

Hanna Palmquist. Photo: IMMAF

Another veteran of the game is Hanna Palmquist from Gothenburg.

In the last World Cup she won a bronze medal after delivering two straight first-round finishes before losing the semi finals to Australia’s Faine Mesquita Pereira.

Palmquist is definitely a strong candidate for a medal in Albania as well.

Arsen Tuganov, senior, 56,7 kilo

Arsen Tuganov. Photo via IMMAF

Arsen Tuganov has represented the Swedish National MMA Team in both the European Championships and World Championships.

Tuganov made it to the quarterfinals in the 2022 European Championships and the in the eight finals in the World Championships in Belgrade.

In his last outing he defeated Morad Muhyaddin at Fight Club Rush 17 in Uppsala.

Millie Eriksson, senior, 61,2 kilo

Mille Eriksson. Photo: IMMAF/Lee Hamilton-Cooper.

Another veteran National Team member is Millie Eriksson who represented Sweden in many tournaments over the past few years, as well as competing in various regional organizations in the Nordic countries.

Her biggest international merit is a gold medal in the 2021 World Cup. Hopefully the seasoned fighter will repeat her achievement in Albania.

Sahand Shokohi, senior, 61,2 kilo

Sahand Shokoh. Photo via Instagram (@sahandshokohi)

Five time Judo Swedish champion and two time Judo Nordic champion Sahand Shokohi is a seasoned grappler with a brilliant resume.

Shokohi is also a Swedish MMA champion and definitely a fighter to keep a close eye on in the Swedish squad.

Liam Pitts, junior, 61,2 kilo

Liam Pitts. Photo: Chris Önnerby

Liam Pitts is a promising bantamweight on the Swedish regional scene, who pulled together a 3-o amateur record in promotions like AFN and FCR.

Representing Sweden for the first time, it will be interesting to see how the Allstars prospect will stand against international opposition.

“I’m stoked about this next step and it’s an honor to represent Sweden,” Pitts recently told Frontkick. “It’s something that I always wanted to do, so it’s really fun.”

Viktor Mangs, senior, 70,3 kilo

Viktor Mangs. Photo: Stefan Romare

Viktor Mangs is another exciting fighter on the Swedish regional scene who fought in promotions like FCR and AFN.

Mangs proved to be a real warrior in the cage and the World Championships in Albania will be his first competition for the National Team.

It will be interesting to see how the physically strong lightweight will manage to take on international opponents.

Sebastian Palacio Gomez, senior, 77,1 kilo

Sebastian Palacio Gomez. Photo via Instagram (@sebastianpalaciogomez)

Örebro fight gym’s Sebastian Palacio Gomez is a Swedish Championship silvermedalist, with 11 amateur fights to his name, who will make his debut in the Swedish National MMA Team in Albania.

Make sure to keep an eye on this welterweight prospect!

Rafael Kveldstad, junior, 83,9 kilo

Rafael Kveldstad. Photo Stefan Romare

Rafael Kveldstad is one of the hottest amateurs in Europe right now. In 2023 he won the Cage Warriors Academy amateur middleweight title and a silver medal at the IMMAF World Cup in February.

Recently talking to Frontkick, the prospect opened up on his goal for the tournament.

“This is the year I have developed the most so far, this has been my year. From now on it’s just up. Now we go for the IMMAF gold to crown the year. Then I will go pro in 2024,” Kveldstad says.

Najib Adams, senior, 93 kilo

Photo Chris Sonnerby

The heavyweight 93 kilo fighter Najib Adams will make his National Team debut in Tirana after a short but promising amateur career. Talking to Frontkick a while back, Adams was clear with his goal for the tournament.

“What I look forward to the most is bringing the gold back home,” Adams says. “I believe in myself and my coaches believe in me, so I will just go there and do what I do best.”

Read more: Here Are Europe’s Top 35 MMA Amateur Fighters Right Now

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