Amateur MMA fighter Veja Hinda wins first gold medal for Namibia in his debut 

The International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) hosted the Africa Championships following their exciting Brave MMA Super Cup in Bahrain. Thanks to Veja Hinda, Team Namibia now has its first gold medal in the amateur fighter platform.

Namibia's inaugural appearance at the tournament was outstanding. With a small team of three fighters, the African nation managed to take home two bronze medals and one gold.

Featherweight Hinda, who finished all three of his opponents, made light work of Tresor Musampa from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Geraldo Moïse of Mauritius before heading into the final round.

Watch footage of Hinda's head-kick finish against Moïse below:

In the finals, Hinda dominated South Africa's Nicolaas Vermaak and defeated him with an armbar submission in the second round.

His success may come as a surprise considering the young fighter's lack of experience. Although he has trained in combat sports, Hinda never participated in a mixed martial arts fight until the tournament.

In a statement provided by Independent Online, Hinda said:

“My father used to do a bit of boxing, and I did some Muay Thai and kickboxing, like two fights. But this weekend was the first time I’ve ever taken part in a mixed martial arts fight."

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Hinda admits to feeling "overwhelmed" in the lead-up to the amateur MMA tournament

Veja Hinda in action at IMMAF (via Tamryn Christians/MzansiMMA)

The 25-year-old is also studying for his Bachelor's in Law and is set to graduate soon. Being a law student comes with a lot of pressure, as does fighting in the cage.

Leading up to the tournament, Hinda had some mixed feelings about the competition. Between eating healthy to make weight and getting in a suitable headspace, he admits the pressure all once weighed him down.

“I won’t even lie to you, one hundred percent, this is overwhelming. I just tried to keep myself as calm as possible, going in there, there were a lot of distractions."

Despite the daunting journey, the young fighter pulled through and performed magnificently to win gold for Namibia. His calm composure and arsenal of skills were on full display during the event, highlighting the talent of African mixed martial artists. Undoubtedly, the victory sets them on the path to participating alongside other African teams in future tournaments.