The IMMAF is composed of autonomous and independent national federations. For an organization to formally represent their country as a member in the IMMAF there needs to be a national federation in place that meets the following requirements:
- It needs to be formally registered as a non-profit organization
- It needs to have statutes
- The statutes need to state that the organization is democratic
- It needs to be registered under a name that contains the country name and mixed martial arts
- It needs to group together the majority of the MMA organizations and clubs throughout the country
- It needs to show the ability to initiate regular national competitions in the near future
If in any country there is more than one such federation, the IMMAF will accept among its members the one officially recognized by the National Olympic Committee or the governmental sport authority of the country in question. If more than one federation meets all the requirements but none have that kind of recognition it comes down to size – which federation that groups together the majority of the MMA organizations and clubs throughout the country.
In countries where there is a need for support on how to found a non-profit, democratic federation the IMMAF provides that through our National Federation Establishment Committee. At the moment the committee is being formed so those who need help will be assigned a contact as soon as all the members of the committee have been appointed and operations are up and running.
There are two kinds of members – Full members and Individual members. If in any country there is no national federation in place to meet the demands of Full membership an individual can be appointed Individual Member of the IMMAF. This individual will thereby temporarily represent the country, with the assignment to establish a national federation. Each Full member is entitled to one (1) vote at the General Assembly whereas Individual Members have no vote. Membership shall be subject to the approval of the Board of Directors and ratified at the time of the next General Assembly.
For more information on membership click here for the IMMAF statutes.