A unifying international governing federation for mixed martial arts (MMA) will be launched on December 1, senior officials announced on Thursday at a press briefing. The new body aims to bring greater unity to the sport’s amateur structures and boost its case for Olympic inclusion.
The Federation of Mixed Martial Arts (Fima) was created in response to calls from athletes and national federations for a single cohesive body, said Gordon Tang, president of the Asian Mixed Martial Arts Association (AMMA). Tang is a founding partner and major backer of Fima.
“We are ready to collaborate with any organisation that shares a commitment to protecting and promoting the interests of MMA and its athletes,” he said.
At present, different international bodies such as the Global Association of Mixed Martial Arts (Gamma) and the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) run their own world and continental championships, set rule frameworks for amateur competitions and work with national federations at grass-roots level.
Conversations with these bodies are ongoing, with the intention of building a collaborative framework.
Among the new rules to be adopted is a ban on head strikes on grounded opponents. Photo: Handout
“Our aim is to unify everybody so that we can put up a united front to the IOC,” said AMMA director general Galastein Tan.