Former EFC champ Lino helps hone young fighters

Julian Kiewietz|Published 10 months ago

Amanda Lino (right) is a former EFC double champion and is yet to be beaten at Bantamweight. Here she is en route to winning the vacant 135-pound EFC strap against Rizlen Zouak. | EFC Supplied

Julian Kiewietz

Former EFC double champion Amanda Lino will use all her MMA experience and knowledge to best serve South Africa’s upcoming stars at the 2024 IMMAF Africa Championships.

Fighter-turned-coach Lino has formed part of Team SA for this year’s continental championship, taking place in Windhoek, Namibia.

Athletes from 10 African nations have descended upon Namibia’s capital to compete against the Mother Land’s best amateur stars for honours under the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) umbrella.

And Lino, a former Extreme Fighting Championship fly and bantamweight champion, knows what it takes to get these athletes to reach their full potential today when the youth leg of the event starts.

“This is my first year being a South African coach, and I am excited about it,” said Lino, who also competed and was unbeaten at the first IMMAF World Championships in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2014.

“My role is assisting these athletes where I can. They have their coaches working with them daily, so I am here more in a supportive role, running through their game plans and fine-tuning what they’ve been working on and just helping them get through this week as best as possible.

“I have been at the IMMAF Championships before, so I do feel there is lots to give and help them prepare themselves mentally and assist them getting acclimated here in Windhoek,” said Lino, who travelled with some of the Team SA members from Durban via Johannesburg.

“The thing with travelling is the guys get tired, and the momentum for the competition dies down. It’s key to get the blood flowing, get the excitement going. It’s about picking up the momentum, getting the mentality right and getting them on track and in tune for the show,” said Lino.

SA coach Amanda Lino (centre) runs through drills with her athletes ahead of this year’s IMMAF Africa Championship in Windhoek, Namibia. | Whitney Tobias.

Lino’s last outing in the cage was in 2019, when she lost her flyweight championship to France’s Manon Fiorot, who is now one of the top contenders in the UFC.

Lino (4-2) is unbeaten at bantamweight after winning the vacant 135-pound EFC title against French-Moroccan Rizlen Zouak.

“Right now there is no pressure for me to return, my sole focus now is our South African athletes and making a difference in their lives, but I have plans to come back,” said Lino, who made a move to Europe after her last fight to coach before the pandemic delayed her return to the cage.

“I always want to test myself. As I am coaching, I am also learning. When you teach others, you learn more about movements, you are constantly learning and your knowledge is improving. As I’m becoming a better coach, I’m becoming a better athlete as well. It’s special when you have athletes under your wing, and it means even more when you know they are watching you compete, so that will be something special for me, too,” concluded Lino.

Stay tuned to MzansiMMA for live updates on the IMMAF Africa Championships.

* Julian Kiewietz is in Windhoek to cover the IMMAF Africa Championships courtesy of intergro.