Representatives from five Central American countries, including Belize, convened in San Salvador, El Salvador on Saturday, February 22nd to pen the foundation of a Lima Lama federation for Central America. Lima Lama is a Polynesian type of martial arts that teaches self-defense and highlights confidence, respect, and discipline. The new regional organization known as Confederacion Centroamericana de Lima Lama (Concadell) will sanction the events taking place within Central America. Representing Belize at the historic signing was San Pedro’s Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) instructor Martin Dawson, who officially became a member of the federation’s directive committee.
Other MMA instructors present at the event included Bladimir Hernandez of El Salvador, Harry Steven Reyes and Anibal Esmely Gomez of Honduras. Guatemala was represented by David Pinzon and Julio Enrique Flamenco, while Nicaragua was represented by Manuel Antonio Fialos. The initiative materialized following a meeting in Guatemala City on January 18th, and subsequently, a final gathering took place in San Salvador for the official signing.
Dawson shared with The San Pedro Sun that he feels proud to represent Belize in this monumental achievement for the sport in the region. “We all used to work under a Mexican federation, but now that we have created our own, this opens the door to the rest of Central America,” said Dawson. He added that Belizean athletes will also have the opportunity to participate at the Central American Olympic Games in November of this year in El Salvador through the new federation. Dawson, through his Dawson Pitfighters training school, is looking forward to taking a group of Belizean competitors from ages 12 to 17 to participate in the Olympic Games.
Under Concadell, each country will have the opportunity to host a Lima Lama tournament each year. Dawson feels optimistic about this opportunity and believes that having autonomy in the sport will benefit the future of Central American athletes.
Dawson was introduced to martial arts when he traveled to Chetumal, Quintana Roo Mexico to study veterinary medicine at the age of 18. He trained at the Centro Nacional de Kickboxing in Chetumal, where he qualified in Level Two (out of Seven) as he journeyed to become an MMA master. Dawson also competed in various Taekwondo tournaments in Chetumal and participated in a full combat tournament in Cancun, Mexico. In 2013, he began offering classes to those interested in martial arts.
Over the years, Dawson turned his love of martial arts into a training center. He offers Lima Lama classes on Mondays and Tuesdays, while on the other days, except Sundays, the schedule includes Jiu-Jitsu, MMA, and Muay Thai. For more information on the sport or private classes, contact Dawson at 630-4077.
