Innisfail’s Kyle Mayocchi does Australia proud at the IMMAF World Amateur MMA Championships in Serbia

Maria Girgenti

INNISFAIL’S Kyle Mayocchi represented Australia and did his nation proud at the 2022 IMMAF World Amateur MMA Championships held at Stark Arena in Belgrade, Serbia, from February 12 - 17.

Mayocchi got Australia off to a flying start, with a win via unanimous decision in his first match against his English opponent Ryan Southern with a choke at the very end of round three in the Male Junior 70.3kg Lightweight division.

In Mayocchi’s second fight, he had a submission win by Von Flue choke in the first round against Ivan Steko from Croatia.

Mayocchi then went up against Poland’s number one seed Michal Borowski in the quarter-finals but bowed out by decision 29 - 28.

After Mayocchi secured the first round, however, his opponent did enough to take the next two rounds.

He finished in the top eight, and although this was not his ultimate goal, he gained heaps from the experience.

The World Championships, conducted per the latest IMMAF Amateur rules, had six weight divisions in the female division, from Atomweight to Lightweight, and ten for the male division, from Strawweight to Super Heavyweight in the Senior competition.

Mayocchi especially wanted to thank his family, supporters and all who helped make this overseas trip happen, and his 2023 sponsors.

He gave a special mention to Fusion Fight and

Fitness Innisfail, Fusion Fight and Fitness, De Been 100 Jiu-Jitsu, Hyperfly Australia, Trainade, Butcher Crowd, Phuket Top Team, IMMAF Australia, Fusion Championship, Champ Mouthguards, Havokk Clothing Company, Chris Kassiotes, ADP Electrical, Cassowary Cabinets, DS Energy Services, All Phase Building Construction, Innisfail Glass and Aluminium, Mangotti Farming, Engage, Unfamiliar Apparel, Kirby Growcott, Ignite Martial Arts 51 Academy 4 and Gamebred Academy.

Mayocchi, who still has three more years in the junior division, will return stronger than ever for the next event.

He is proud to represent Australia and Fusion Fight and Fitness Innisfail against the best in the world.

Faine Mesquita Pereira created Australian MMA history by winning Australia’s first-ever world gold in the Senior Women’s Flyweight 56.7kg division with a big TKO finish against Spain’s Raquel Gonzalez.

Australian’s Samir Ali bowed out via submission (arm triangle choke) in the Junior Men’s Heavyweight 120.2kg division final against Uzbekistan’s Asrorbek Anvarjonov.

The IMMAF Championships were the largest yet, with over close to 600 athletes and featured 63 nations from all over the world.

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ANOTHER wet and windy weekend left lots of anglers frustrated with the weather. It is important to remember that good wet season results in excellent healthy fishing, and a poor wet invariably results in poor fishing later in the year. Unfortunately, there has been zero chance of anglers fishing out wide on the reefs; how hungry will those coral trout be when we get a break in the weather?

Large schools of bait move along the coast at this time of year; once the water clears, the pelagic species will start to move inshore to feed on them.

March and April are the best months of the year to target Queenfish, Trevally and Tuna inshore and around the Islands. Although the more significant numbers of Spanish Mackerel won’t start to turn up until June, smaller numbers will move in close to target the array of bait on offer.

Fingermark and Grunter have continued to take well-presented baits, vibes and GULP plastics, on headlands and shaley broken bottoms, even with considerable freshwater. Finding a sheltered spot in all this wind has been a problem.

Although most anglers fishing the estuaries have struggled, there has been some great catches from the central section of the Hinchinbrook Channel.

The best barra fishing currently is around the feeder creeks and drains, running into the significant coastal rivers. Even though there was no tidal movement on the weekend, lots of freshwater moved out of the drains bringing bait with it. Slow-rolling the new CAST APEX soft plastics produced several barras for my manager Derek Maynard.

March and April are the best months of the year for mud crabs. Sexually mature at around two years and thought to live to 3 or 4 years of age; however, at the moment, the freshwater has pushed them to the mouths of the rivers and out on the tidal flats chasing saltwater.

The forecast looks to be easing as we head into a new week. The biggest morning tides on the weekend, and the full moon, create great fishing opportunities in our estuary systems. Fishing around river mouths as that big tide pushes in should see schools of bait being harassed by predator fish. As always, watch up-to-date weather forecasts before planning an offshore trip this time of year, as they can change daily.

Good Fishing, Roly Newton, Tackle World Tully