This week, the Sweden-based International Mixed Martial Arts Federation announced its official implementation.
The IMMAF (which you can learn more about here, at the organization’s official website) is a nonprofit organization that aims to increase MMA’s global profile, as well as general understanding of the sport, through various measures. The organization will be dedicated to fostering the growth and legitimacy of amateur MMA by implementing unified rules and setting up international competitions for amateurs. Among other things, the IMMAF intends to gain “formal and informal” recognition for MMA, including boosting efforts to include the sport in Olympic competition.
Just ahead of UFC on Fuel TV 2: Gustafsson vs. Silva, which takes place this weekend in Stockholm, Sweden, the UFC has announced their full support of the fledgling organization.
“In order to maintain the successful growth of our sport, it is important to invest in resources that will develop and cultivate it at an amateur level,” UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta said in a press release. “Having an umbrella organization that will oversee and help build the sport on a global level will not only provide advanced and ever-improving safety standards but will also create a unified global model to help introduce the sport to new markets. It is our hope that it will also take us one step closer to witnessing the inclusion of the sport of MMA on the Olympic program.”
The UFC’s senior vice president of government and regulatory affairs, Marc Ratner, asserted that the formation of such an organization has been a long time coming and should go hand-in-hand with the UFC’s efforts of global expansion of and education on mixed martial arts.
The creation of this organization is long overdue,” said Ratner. “MMA is the fastest growing sport in the world and we support the Federation’s focus on providing a globally unified set of rules and safety measures to help keep all fighters safe. While there are many obstacles ahead in the formation of this international organization, we are confident of the outcomes and advancements this group will make for the future of our sport.”
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MMA in the Olympics. That would be awesome!
MMA in the Olympics would be pretty cool, but I doubt it will ever happen. And if it does, then no organization should have any part of it. Would Dana White want one of his p4p`ers fighting in an event that would be on channels that he cannot control or risk them getting severely injured in a non-UFC fight.
Even Gary Bettman has said that no more NHL`ers would be in the olympics. Alexander Ovechkin fired back by saying if the Nhl wouldn;t allow hin to play for his country then he would not be part of the nhl.
I don`t think any UFCer would have the balls to say that.
That’s cause bettman is american and he knows the only way to stop Canada from winning gold is to not allow the best players(who are canadian)to play.
As far as ufc or any organization allowing fighters to compete, I would think it would have to follow the boxing model where pros dont get to compete.
Agree it would probably follow boxing model. But if pro’s could fight you know Dan Henderson would be first in line.
@hee haw
I don’t know, it wasn’t to long ago MMA as we know it today was just a dream. I say it’s highly plausible. Maybe not now but in the near future.
If it does happen, it won’t be MMA as we know it.
Protective gear required, no knees or elbows or 4 oz gloves, just boxing and lay-n-pray.
Too many other ways for a winner to not be able to compete in his next match-up.
Is anyone else aware that he mentioned an umbrella organization? They caused the raccoon city outbreak. Anyway its not gonna be in the Olympics since they no one will win a medal following the drug tests. That’s right the rules are upheld at the Olympics
@justdave/residentevil
No one has ever tested positive after winning an olympic medal? The big diffference is they rarely allow testosterone replacement. And if they do it is actually for real deficiencies, like an athlete having only one nut, and I think their maximum ratio is 4:1(I’m not positive on this but reasonably certain). Perhaps the AC’s which regulate mma, boxing should adopt olympic guidelines. Would make it much tougher to cheat.
If they were to introduce a MMA like sport they would probably put Pankration back in the oylimpics. That way people dont have to get blasted in the face and can still show some of what MMA is.