Member News
What’s Next for MMA in France?
On Friday 7 February, the Ministry of Sport officially announced that MMA will be regulated in France under the auspices of the French Boxing Federation. The announcement was made by Sports Minister, Roxana Maracineanu, at a dedicated press conference. [Watch press announcement video via Boxe Mag – French Language] The Minister formalised the French Boxing Federation as host for the development of MMA until December 31, 2020. She also confirmed that MMA is now recognised in France and that professional competitions could be organised. “This is an anticipated day for lovers of MMA,” said Maracineanu. “Their passion is recognised today. I took the time to discover this sport that I […]
IMMAF Board Approves 2020 Action Plans & Welcomes Uzbekistan as New Member
The Board of Directors of the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) met on 7/8 February in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, to formulate policy and approve action plans for 2020. The IMMAF Directors agreed to step up efforts to gain official recognition from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the Global Association of International Sports Federation (GAISF) while continuing to strengthen IMMAF’s operational capacity. The membership of IMMAF Commissions was approved, as was a new IT platform designed to ensure efficiency of communication. In addition, a 2020 Action Plan for each team was approved. IMMAF was also pleased to welcome a new member from Uzbekistan (with Observation status). The formation of Area […]
French Sports Ministry Announces Official Decision for MMA to be Housed within Boxing – MMA Governing Bodies Respond
[London. 7 February 2020] The International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) and the Comité Français de Mixed Martial Arts (CFMMA) welcome today’s official announcement by the French Ministry of Sport that MMA is to be legalised in France under the auspices of the French Boxing Federation. IMMAF President Kerrith Brown commented: “The official announcement is a crucial step on the path to creating a dynamic MMA structure in France. IMMAF will continue to supply constructive support and advice to all the MMA stakeholders.” IMMAF Board Director and CFMMA Co-President, Bertrand Amoussou said: “After many years of commitment and hard work by MMA activists in France, it is a major milestone […]
IMMAF Creates first Regional Committee in Africa
Main picture: Hocine Mesboua (Algeria), IMMAF Director Wissam Abi Nader, Africa Union Chairman Avinash (Mauritius), IMMAF President Kerrith Brown and IMMAF Africa Director, Raymond Phillips at formation meeting in Bahrain, November 2019. The International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) is proud to announce the creation of its first Area Committee in Africa. The African Committee is will be the first of a global network of representative bodies to help deliver IMMAF strategy and goals more effectively at national level. IMMAF President Kerrith Brown said: “This is a key strategic development for IMMAF and proves that our organisation has reached a mature stage of its development. Our African Committee, made up […]
Afghan MMA Community Comes Together; Over 250 Athletes Compete in Kabul Event
The inspiring power of community was recently on display within Afghanistan’s developing MMA scene. National regulatory body, The Afghan MMA Federation (AMMAF), which caters to grass roots development of MMA within the nation, welcomed over 250 young athletes to compete at an amateur championships in Kabul on January 9. “254 athletes participated from 11 provinces,” the AMMAF stated. “It was very effective for the development of Amateur MMA and its athletes, many who travel from far provinces for their wish to compete in these events, and so we pave the ground for them. They gained good experience before returning home to their provinces, Afghan people are very talented and these […]
French Sport Ministry chooses Boxing as host federation for MMA
London – 21 January – The International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) welcomes the announcement earlier today that the French Boxing Federation has been given the responsibility of supervising the first phase of development of the sport of MMA in France. This decision, by the French Sport Ministry, is part of a historic legalisation of the sport of MMA in France. In a statement, the Ministry said: “Having requested and analysed all relevant information received from a number of combat federations who were interested in welcoming MMA, we have decided, by an official Ministerial Decision, to delegate the sport of MMA to the French Boxing Federation.” It has been made […]
IMMAF Origins Story: “We believed in the mission”
Main picture: IMMAF Board celebrates at the close of the inaugural IMMAF World Championships in Las Vegas in 2014 , with August Wallen centre facing. The lessons learned the hard way in Sweden helped to make IMMAF what it is today. Founder August Wallen talks to immaf.org about IMMAF’s origins. “IMMAF’s journey began during dark times in Sweden, when MMA, and all full-contact combat sports faced the threat of a ban,” said August. IMMAF’s story begins in Sweden where a martial artist called August Wallen had the vision, the plan, and like all good fighters, the discipline and determination to change the world. In 2005 Sweden elected a new Sport Minister […]
IMMAF International Growth Continues as Venezuela Becomes New Member
IMMAF, the world governing body for amateur Mixed Martial Arts, is proud to welcome Venezuela as its latest international observational member. Venezuela becomes the 13th IMMAF member in the Pan-American Area, joining Argentina, Bahamas, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, El Salvador, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Trinidad and Tobago and the USA. IMMAF President Kerrith Brown said: “MMA is growing fast around the world with the Pan-American region one of the most diverse and dedicated. IMMAF is consistently investing in the continent with sports’ development resources, and we are excited about the potential of this region, especially with the Pan-American Open Championships heading to Cancun, Mexico in May, which is a renowned destination for […]
French Polynesia becomes the First French Territory to Legalise MMA
FRENCH POLYNESIAN TEAM TO COMPETE IN IMMAF OCEANIA CHAMPIONSHIPS In France’s mainland the Sports Ministry has postponed its decision about the guardianship of MMA and its legalisation until February. Meanwhile, in France’s overseas territory of French Polynesia, a Public Service Delegation (DSP) was granted on December 27 for the Federation of Wrestling, mixed martial arts, jiu jitsu and associated disciplines (FPLALDA) to supervise the practice of MMA and Amateur MMA competitions. A decree was published on January 3 in the Official Journal of French Polynesia. A Public Service Delegation can only be granted to a sports federation by the country’s President on the advice of the French Polynesia Olympic Committee: […]
IMMAF World Championships: Team UK
Picture: European Open Silver medallist Warren Mason secures victory for Team UK via arm-bar against Frenchman Humberto Correia For a third successive year the UK MMA Federation (UKMMAF) National Team will compete at the IMMAF World Championships of Amatuer MMA, taking place from Tuesday, July 5 – Sunday, July 10 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, in conjunction with the 5th Annual UFC International Fight Week and Fan Expo. The UK National Amateur Team first competed at the inaugural 2014 IMMAF World Championships, achieving five podium positions with 1 Silver and 4 Bronze medal winners under the guidance of head coach and UFC veteran, Luke Barnatt. Now led by UFC veteran John Maguire alongside UKMMAF secretary […]
IMMAF World Championships: Team Bahrain
Picture: 2015 IMMAF European Open Bronze medallist Hussein Maki faces off against eventual tournament champion Jake Bond. Selection has been completed for Bahrain’s National MMA team ahead of the 2016 IMMAF World Championships of Amateur MMA, taking place from Tuesday, July 5 – Sunday, July 10 in Las Vegas, USA. Following multiple try-outs and regional championship events both inside and outside Bahrain over the past several months, the National Team selectors have completed the Bahrain lineup. The single elimination tournament will take place at the Las Vegas Convention Center in conjunction with the 5th Annual UFC International Fight Week and Fan Expo, and will be regulated by the United States […]
Australia confirms its 2016 IMMAF World Championships Team
Joe Minehan, President of the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation of Australia (IMMAFA) has revealed the official team lineup of eight athletes who will represent the nation at this year’s IMMAF World Championships of Amateur MMA from Tuesday, July 5 – Sunday, July 10 in Las Vegas, USA. 2016 will mark Australia’s first venture to the IMMAF World Championships which take place in conjunction with the 5th Annual UFC International Fight Week. Australian MMA’s transition to the competitive IMMAF platform comes in line with the country’s biggest year for MMA to date with major breakthroughs playing out over the past 14 months. In the second half of 2015 Sports Minister John […]
French Anti-doping Agency makes surprise call in on Amateur MMA team trials
The national team tryouts in France for the 2016 IMMAF World Championships took a surprising turn when the French Anti-doping Agency arrived unannounced to test the athletes. Hosted by the Commission Française de Mixed Martial Arts (CFMMA), the team trials took place last weekend on Sunday 31 January at Paris Fight Team headquarters at 16 rue capron. As MMA competition is not permitted in France and its legality contentious, the team selections were made through assessed training sessions. The selection day was open to applicants from all across France. According the CFMMA President, Bertrand Amoussou, they were taken aback by the arrival of Anti-doping officials just 15 minutes before the start of training, at 7:45am. […]
Finland’s strength in numbers at the IMMAF European Open
For the IMMAF European Open Championships, Finland’s national amateur MMA team will make their way to the UK as the largest competing body with a squad of 18 fighters, including the most diverse Women’s lineup spanning five athletes across four weight divisions. With Finland currently ranked 7th as a nation in the IMMAF World Amateur Rankings, Jukka Paananen, Chairman of the Finnish Mixed Martial Arts Federation (Suomen Vapaaotteluliitto), believes that Finland can emerge from the European Open as the most successful team of the competition. He commented, “I am very happy that we have such big team competing in European Championships, Birmingham. During the last few years I have been admiring the level […]
Northern Ireland will ’cause major upsets’ at the IMMAF European Open
Picture: Carl McNally lifting the Ulster flag with victory on the opening day at the 2015 IMMAF World Championships of Amateur MMA Competing athletes at next week’s IMMAF European Open Championships can expect to meet a “serious force” in the form of Northern Ireland’s national amateur team, according to Danny Corr, Director of the Ulster Amateur MMA Association. At the 2015 IMMAF World Championships of Amateur MMA, which took place in Las Vegas during July, Northern Ireland competed for the first time as a separate team to the United Kingdom and secured a pair of bronze medals won by light-heavyweight Denis Perry and bantamweight Carl McNally. Neither Perry or McNally will be a part of […]
Team Iceland soon to announce themselves on IMMAF world stage
Pictured: Team Iceland’s head coach Jon Vidar (left) Haraldur Nelson (centre left) Gunnar Nelson (centre right) John Kavanagh (right). From November 19 to 22 amateur mixed martial artists from Iceland will take part in an IMMAF event for the very first time, as the national team travels to compete in the 2015 IMMAF European Open Championships at the Walsall Sports Centre. As many nations have done, and continue to do, Iceland will make national history in the sport of MMA with its first team of leading amateur contenders uniting to represent their country and announce themselves on Amateur MMA’s world stage. While Iceland are yet to establish a presence in IMMAF competition, the team is preceded by a strong […]
Imad Al Howayeck targets gold for Lebanon
The national amateur team of Lebanon will soon travel to the UK for the IMMAF European Open Championships of Amateur MMA, which takes place in less than 9 days time, from November 19 to 22 at the University of Wolverhampton’s Walsall Campus Sports Centre. Lebanon made history with IMMAF in 2014 as the first Arab nation to compete in an IMMAF Championships event, at the first World Amateur Championships in Las Vegas. Furthermore, Lebanon championed the first and only Arab female competitor under IMMAF to date, with Rachel Abou Abdallah (pictured below) who claimed the silver medal in the Women’s 115lb strawweight division. Unfortunately, Abou Abdallah has been unable to compete in 2015 due to […]
Competitor Safety Ladder sees Swedish amateurs progress to national team
Picture: Anja Saxmark (left) receives her silver medal at the 2015 IMMAF World Championships of Amateur MMA from SMMAF and IMMAF founder August Wallen As the founding nation of IMMAF, Sweden and the Swedish Mixed Martial Arts Federation (SMMAF) boasts some of the best and most effective government relations seen anywhere in the world for the sport of MMA. The direct effects of this can be seen in each and every competing Swedish fighter from the moment they begin their grass roots amateur career and throughout their days in the professional ranks. The results of this will be on display at the IMMAF European Open Championships of Amateur MMA later this month, taking place from November 19-22 […]
Bahrain amateurs set to make “national history” at IMMAF European Open
At the IMMAF European Open Championships this month amateur fighters from Bahrain will compete under IMMAF for the first time since the ground breaking launch of KHK MMA, a Bahrain based stable of international and Bahraini fighters financially backed by team founder Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, First Deputy president of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports. KHK team members sponsored by the Sheikh include world champions Jose Torres and Frans Mlambo, who have since made successful professional debuts after claiming amateur gold at the IMMAF World Championships in July. However, KHK is more than just a stable/gym of fighters. Mohammed ‘The Hawk’ Shahid, professional fighter, General Secretary of the Bahrain MMA Federation and […]
Norway hungry to make a statement at the IMMAF European Open
Pictured: Norway’s Eivind D. S. Kjonsvik (3rd right) medals with silver in the Men’s Light Heavyweight division at the 2014 IMMAF World Championships Following Norway’s breakthrough success at the first ever IMMAF World Championships of Amateur MMA in 2014, where the national team achieved four podium positions, the momentum was halted as Norway were unable to return to Las Vegas the following year for the 2015 World Championships, which took place in July, 2015. Now, the Norwegian national team is set for a return to IMMAF competition when the first IMMAF European Open Championships take place in the UK from November 19-22 at the University of Wolverhampton’s Walsall Campus Sports Centre. Under […]
Canada’s Saeid Mirzaei has opportunity to become p4p king at IMMAF European Open
In less than two weeks Team Canada’s elite lineup of amateur MMA contenders will travel to the UK for the first time as a unit to compete in the first IMMAF European Open Championships of Amateur MMA. At the inaugural IMMAF World Championships in Las Vegas, 2014, Canada came away with a single medal as Leroy Johnson claimed bronze in the Super Heavyweight division. At the 2015 IMMAF World Championships, which took place in July again in Las Vegas, Canada achieved four podium spots and two world champions with Sambath Khun (bronze, Men’s Flyweight), Jamie Herrington (gold, Women’s Featherweight), Alexander Martinez (silver, Welterweight) and Saeid Mirzaei (gold, Light-Heavyweight). The Canadian team’s effort has seen them place […]
IAPA names Irish team ahead of IMMAF European Open
Following the completion of open tryouts at Dublin’s famed SBG Ireland headquarters, the Irish Amateur Pankration Association (IAPA) have revealed the list of fighters who will represent the nation at this year’s inaugural IMMAF Amateur MMA European Open Championships. The event takes place 19-22 November in Birmingham, England. Subject to IMMAF clearance, IAPA have put forward a lineup of 15 athletes: Deborah OSullivan – 115lbs Women’s Strawweight Meagan OLoughlin – 125lbs Women’s Flyweight Lindsey Doyle – 145lbs Women’s Featherweight Aoife Murphy – 155lbs Women’s Lightweight Daryl Byrne – 125lbs Men’s Flyweight David Fogarty – 125lbs Men’s Flyweight Richie Smullen – 145lbs Men’s Featherweight Lee Hammond – 155lbs Mens’s Lightweight Thomas Martin – 155lbs Men’s Lightweight Mark Fairman – 170lbs Welterweight Sam Slater – 170lbs Welterweight Kiefer Crosbie – 185lbs Middleweight Ben Forsyth – […]
Portugal Names European Open Team
With tryouts having taken place on October 11, Portugal’s Comissão Atlética Portuguesa de Mixed Martial Arts (CAPMMA) has completed its selection process for athletes that will represent its nation at the IMMAF Amateur European Open Championships. The event takes place 19-22 November in Birmingham, England. The deadline for team registration expires today, October 16. Subject to confirmed registration and clearance by IMMAF, the CAPMMA have put forward five athletes ranging from featherweight to light heavyweight. The Portuguese team includes: Luis Barneto – Team leader/national coach Renato Costa – Coach Nuno Rocha – Coach Filipe Catanho – Men’s Featherweight Franklyn Rodrigues – Men’s Lightweight Carlos Santos – Men’s Welterweight Milton Mateus – Men’s Middleweight João Mimoso – Men’s […]
UK TEAM REVEALED: FOR 2015 IMMAF EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS
(London. 11th October 2015) The United Kingdom Mixed Martial Arts Federation (UKMMAF) has announced the UK Amateur MMA team for the 2015 IMMAF European Championships of Amateur MMA, following try-outs which have taken place over the past few months. The 2015 IMMAF European Open Championships will take place in Birmingham (UK) from 19–22 November 2015 at the Walsall Sports Centre at the University of Wolverhampton. For full information about the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation event, to be broadcast on UFC FIGHT PASS, visit: https://www.immaf.org/2015-immaf-european-open-championships/. For two years running, the UK team has medalled at the IMMAF World Championships of Amateur MMA in Las Vegas (USA). The recent 2015 World Championships […]
Tryouts round up ahead of IMMAF European Open
As the IMMAF European Open Championships approaches, from November 19-22, so does the October 16 deadline for competitor entries. Over the past weekend several IMMAF member nations held their national tryouts in order to determine their squad of athletes who will compete across the various weight classes at the IMMAF European Open in Birmingham, England. IMMAF members who completed national tryouts on the weekend of October 3 included, CFMMA (France), UKMMAF (UK), and FMMAF (Finland). Finland’s national tryouts took place in the town of Hyvinkaa, approximately 50km north of the capital, Helsinki. On October 4 France’s CFMMA announced the completion of the French athlete tryouts which took place in the capital city of Paris (pictured above). The final regional tryout […]
Buy Tickets: 2015 IMMAF European Championships
2015 IMMAF EUROPEAN OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS OF AMATEUR MMA BIRMINGHAM, UNITED KINGDOM 19TH-22ND NOVEMBER 2015 Tickets are now on sale for the 2015 IMMAF European Open Championships of Amateur MMA, taking place November 19 -22 in Birmingham, United Kingdom, with a limited number available to friends, family and the public. BUY TICKETS HERE: https://www.immaf.org/buy-immaf-tickets/ The venue for International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) tournament will be the Walsall Sports Centre at the University of Wolverhampton. Participants will be accommodated in Birmingham city centre. Situated in the heart of the British Midlands, Birmingham is a lively cultural hotspot at the hub of England’s rail and motorway networks. The city has its own […]