Chapter 1 in the IMMAF rules outline what makes an athlete eligible to compete in Amateur MMA:
- The contestant shall be of legal age according to the laws of the country where the competition is held.
- The contestant shall be in good physical and mental shape. The contestant’s shape will be examined during the medical check.
- The contestant shall be well prepared to compete in MMA.
- The contestant shall have experience from competing in full contact martial arts.
- When entering a competition the contestant is responsible for ensuring that all relevant martial arts experience is reported.
Competitors for IMMAF Competitions must be over the age of 18.
To ensure the safety of the athletes all national teams may be asked to provide documentation of previous martial arts experience as well as videotaped matches for review by the IMMAF.
Amateur vs Professional Level Athletes
The World Championships is for Amateur athletes, i.e. not athletes who have competed at a professional level. The IMMAF considers an athlete to be on a professional level and thus not eligible for participation if he/she meets any one of the following criteria:
- holds a Pro MMA or professional combat sports license issued by any sanctioning body
- is under contract with a Pro MMA or professional combat sport promotion
- has received a fee for participating in an MMA or professional combat sports match
- has participated in a professional MMA match under the Unified Rules of MMA or equivalent in the country where the bout took place
- has competed against an opponent with a Pro MMA record at the time the bout took place
- has a Professional MMA fight record published anywhere
- National Amateur criteria does not hold for IMMAF international competition if it does not conform to the above stipulations
Each national federation will be held responsible for making sure only Amateurs are entered into the World Championships. The IMMAF, UMMAF, the promoter and the Nevada State Athletic Commission will review applications and make necessary background checks.
If you have any queries about an athlete please contact IMMAF in advance of submitting your team application, so that their case may be reviewed.
