Polish fighter Martyna Caruk has become a world champion in amateur mixed martial arts, winning gold at the 2026 IMMAF World Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia.
The fighter from northern Poland defeated defending champion Isla Fono of Finland in the senior women’s lightweight final on 7 November 2026, claiming victory by unanimous decision after three rounds.
All three judges scored the contest 29–28 in Caruk’s favour, giving the Polish representative the world title in the 70.3 kg division.
- Find more news from Poland on our Homepage .
The achievement was particularly remarkable because it came during Caruk’s first appearance for Poland’s national MMA team, selected by the Polish Mixed Martial Arts Association, MMA Polska.
Three fights, three victories and a world championship gold medal made it an extraordinary international debut.
Her victory also crowned a successful tournament for Poland, whose representatives returned from Georgia with five medals: one gold, three silvers and one bronze.
Three victories on the road to world gold
Caruk’s journey to the title began in the quarterfinals, where she faced Pakistan’s Manisha Ali.
The contest proved closely fought.
After three rounds, two judges scored the bout 29–28 for Caruk, while the third awarded it to her opponent by the same margin.
The split-decision victory allowed the Polish fighter to advance to the semifinals.
There, she faced Russia’s Tatiana Deviatova.
This time, Caruk produced a more decisive result, winning by unanimous decision with scores of 30–27, 30–27 and 29–28.
That victory secured her place in the world championship final against Finland’s Isla Fono.
Fono arrived as the reigning IMMAF senior women’s lightweight champion, having won the world title in 2025.
The final therefore presented Caruk with an opportunity to defeat an established international competitor and claim the championship in her first appearance for the Polish squad.
The fight went the full distance, with neither athlete securing a stoppage.
When the judges’ scores were announced, all three favoured Caruk by 29–28.
The International Mixed Martial Arts Federation subsequently confirmed her victory in its official report on the senior finals, published on 9 November.
For Caruk, it meant the biggest international title of her amateur MMA career.
From Barczewo to the world championship podium
Caruk comes from Barczewo, a town in Poland’s Warmia-Masuria region, near the regional capital of Olsztyn.
She trains with Kaiser Sports in Olsztyn, where her preparation helped take her from national-level competition to the international championship stage.
Her victory has attracted particular attention in her home region.
Speaking to Radio Olsztyn after the tournament, Caruk admitted that the scale of her achievement had not yet fully sunk in.
She also described how special it felt to hear the Polish national anthem played during the medal ceremony.
The emotional moment marked the culmination of three demanding contests against international opponents.
For an athlete making her debut in the national squad, standing on the highest step of the podium was a particularly significant milestone.
Local reporting has also highlighted Caruk’s life beyond competitive sport. She completed a master’s degree in psychology in September 2026 and has been considering the possibility of moving into professional MMA.
For now, however, the achievement in Tbilisi represents a major success in its own right.
Poland wins five medals in Georgia
Caruk was not the only Polish representative to reach the podium at the championships.
The Polish national team, selected by MMA Polska, finished the tournament with five medals across the senior and junior divisions.
In the senior women’s competition, Wiktoria Pleśniak secured silver in the 47.6 kg category.
Pleśniak reached the final before losing to Russia’s Daria Kuznetsova by unanimous decision.
The result added another international medal to her record after she had already won silver at the European Championships earlier in 2026.
Another Polish senior competitor, Wiktoria Klepacka, claimed bronze in the women’s 56.7 kg division.
Poland’s remaining two medals came in the junior competition.
Dominik Sitko won silver in the 65.8 kg division, while Szymon Jaśkowiak finished runner-up in the 74.8 kg category.
Both had previously earned international recognition in younger age groups.
According to the Polish Mixed Martial Arts Association’s official championship summary, the final medal tally was:
| Medal | Athlete | Division |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | Martyna Caruk | Senior women, 70.3 kg |
| Silver | Wiktoria Pleśniak | Senior women, 47.6 kg |
| Silver | Dominik Sitko | Junior men, 65.8 kg |
| Silver | Szymon Jaśkowiak | Junior men, 74.8 kg |
| Bronze | Wiktoria Klepacka | Senior women, 56.7 kg |
Poland finished seventh in the senior medal standings among 28 medal-winning national teams and eighth in the junior standings among 21.
The five-medal result reflected a strong showing across both levels of competition.
What is the IMMAF World Championship?
The International Mixed Martial Arts Federation, known as IMMAF, is a governing organisation dedicated to the development and regulation of amateur MMA.
Founded in 2012, it works with national organisations to establish competition standards, organise international championships and provide structured pathways for developing fighters.
Mixed martial arts combines techniques from several combat sports, including boxing, wrestling, judo, kickboxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Competitors can win through a knockout, technical knockout, submission or judges’ decision.
The IMMAF World Championships provide an opportunity for amateur fighters to compete internationally while representing their countries.
The 2026 championships took place in Tbilisi from 1 to 7 November, bringing together nearly 700 registered competitors from around the world.
Poland entered a squad of 17 athletes across the senior and junior competitions.
The event culminated in the senior finals on 7 November, when 20 world titles were decided.
Caruk’s victory came in the women’s lightweight division, one of eight senior women’s championship categories contested on the final day.
The distinction between amateur and professional MMA is important.
Caruk has won an IMMAF amateur world championship, not a title awarded by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) or another professional MMA promotion.
Nevertheless, the title represents a substantial international achievement within the amateur discipline.
It places her among the winners of a recognised global competition and provides another milestone as she considers the next stage of her fighting career.
A growing record of Polish MMA success
Caruk’s gold medal adds to Poland’s wider record in international amateur mixed martial arts.
MMA Polska was established in 2019 to support the development of amateur MMA in the country, organise competitions and select athletes to represent Poland internationally.
The organisation is affiliated with IMMAF and its European counterpart.
According to MMA Polska, Polish junior and senior representatives have now won 56 medals in international IMMAF competitions since the association began selecting national teams.
When results from the younger cadet categories are included, the association reports a total of 102 medals.
Those figures reflect the development of a competitive amateur MMA programme in Poland.
The Tbilisi championships also highlighted the next generation of Polish fighters, with Sitko and Jaśkowiak both reaching junior world finals.
But it was Caruk who delivered Poland’s only gold medal at the 2026 event.
A world title on her first attempt
For Martyna Caruk, the championship represents an extraordinary start to her international career with the Polish national squad.
She arrived in Tbilisi without having previously competed for the team selected by MMA Polska.
She left as the senior women’s lightweight world champion.
Her journey included a narrow quarterfinal victory, a convincing semifinal performance and a final against the defending champion.
Each contest brought a different challenge, but all three ended with her hand raised.
The result has brought international recognition to the Polish fighter, her training club in Olsztyn and the national amateur MMA programme.
With five medals secured across the championships, Poland’s team returned from Georgia with another successful international campaign.
And for Caruk, the sound of the Polish anthem at the medal ceremony marked a moment that will remain associated with her first world title.
