A charity mixed martial arts (MMA) tournament "Podillia Cup 2026" was held in Vinnytsia, which brought together more than 600 athletes from more than 50 sports clubs from all over Ukraine. For two days, the participants demonstrated a high level of skill, endurance and sportsmanship. All funds raised during the event will be transferred to the needs of the fighters of the Special Operations Center "A" of the Security Service of Ukraine.
The tournament was organized by the Vinnytsia Regional Federation of Mixed Martial Arts MMA with the support of partners and benefactors. The competition became one of the largest sports and charity events of the summer, uniting athletes, coaches, fans and all those who care about the common goal - to support Ukrainian defenders.
During the Gala evening, semi-professional fights were held, in which cadets of Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs successfully performed. In the final battles, they demonstrated high technical skill, endurance and strength of character, winning confident victories over their rivals.
According to the results of the competition, the gold awards in their weight categories were won by:
1st place – 3rd year cadet of the ERI No. 1 Roman Pshenychnyi (81 kg);
1st place – 1st year cadet of the ERI No. 4 Daniel Tymchuk (over 90 kg).
Cadet Roman Pshenychnyi shared his impressions of the performance: “The tournament was very competitive, because athletes from different parts of Ukraine took part in it. It is nice that we managed to represent the university worthily and win. The special value of these competitions is given by their charitable goal – supporting our defenders.”
In turn, Daniel Tymchuk noted: "I prepared for each match as responsibly as possible. Winning such a large-scale tournament motivates me to work even harder and improve my sportsmanship. I thank the coaches and the university management for their support."
The ceremony of awarding the winners and prize-winners of the tournament was attended by Serhii Bortnyk, Vice-Rector of KhNUIA, who congratulated the athletes on their high results, noted the importance of developing sportsmanship among young people, and thanked the organizers for holding a charitable event in support of Ukrainian defenders.
The university pays considerable attention to physical training and the development of service and applied sports. Cadets and students regularly represent the institution at all-Ukrainian and international competitions, worthily defending the honor of the university and demonstrating a high level of professional and sports training.
We congratulate the cadets on their well-deserved victories and wish them new sporting achievements, success in their studies, and further bright victories!
