The Spanish delegation leaves its mark at the 2026 IMMAF European Championships in Belgrade with a total of nine medals. Oliver BuendÃa (88.4 kg) won silver after victories by submission and TKO, falling in a close final by split decision. ArÃstides Delgado (52.2 kg) also secured silver in juniors, and Marc Cabrera (61.2 kg) took bronze after losing in the semifinals.
Technical Analysis: the evolution of the Spanish ground game 🥋
The delegation's performance, with BuendÃa's submission victories, shows structured work in the stand-up to ground transition. An approach is observed to control distance to close into the clinch and takedown, avoiding the stand-up game of opponents with greater reach. The guard dominance phase has been key to seeking finishes, although in the losses, difficulty was noted in imposing the pace against opponents with highly defensive wrestling.
Spain's Record: silver, silver, bronze and... more silver 😅
The Spanish haul in Belgrade confirms a trend: we are specialists in brushing gold. Our fighters demonstrate a talent for reaching the finals and fighting epic battles decided by minimal details, almost always in favor of the opponent. It seems the delegation's destiny is to accumulate precious metals, but with that silver touch that makes one think about what could have been. At least the medal tally shines, even if with a slightly silvery reflection.