Issue 145

September 2016

Mixed martial arts is making a giant leap towards inclusion in the Olympic Games, but FO discovers the process could be the sport’s toughest fight yet

This year, mixed martial arts finally won its biggest political battle to date. In April, the sport was finally officially legalized in New York after a 15-year fight for acceptance. Now it’s time for the next big step in the sport’s unstoppable growth – acceptance into the Olympic Games.

There may not be a high-profile media presence or a congregation of suited and booted UFC stars like Ronda Rousey and Chris Weidman on hand to push the sport’s next big political fight through. But make no mistake, this could be far more consequential for MMA’s future than UFC fans finally being able to hear Bruce Buffer say “we are live” at Madison Square Garden.

Step by step

The first step towards Olympic acceptance was made in June when the The International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) – MMA’s global governing body – applied to be recognized by the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA). If it is accepted and becomes a signatory to the WADA code, the next move would be to formally lodge an application to become a member of Sport Accord – possibly as you’re reading these pages in August. 

If the IMMAF’s applications are accepted by both organizations it can apply for membership to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in April 2017. But success is far from guaranteed according to its CEO, Densign White. He says: “We know there is going to be opposition at every level. There is going to be opposition to us becoming a signatory to the WADA code, opposition to our potential membership of Sport Accord and there will be opposition at IOC level. So we aren’t expecting this to be an easy road.

“I went out to the last meeting of Sport Accord and got to meet quite a few other combat sports (federations) that are now members. Sambo, for example, told us it took them 35 years to become members of Sport Accord – and they’re still not an Olympic sport. Muay Thai told us it took them seven years and numerous applications before they were accepted. So it might not happen the first time around – or even the second or third time for that matter. But we’ll keep going. We won’t give up. Giving up is not an option.”

One thing that could work in MMA’s favor is its moneymaking potential. Sambo, Muay Thai and most other sports pitching for Olympic inclusion don’t boast a global fanbase and generate TV and advertising revenue in the hundreds of millions of dollars. White believes that could make the difference.

“The IOC increasingly are becoming more and more commercially minded,” he says. “They are always looking for any sport that puts bums on seats and attracts large home viewing numbers. There’s no doubt that MMA is not only one of the fastest-growing sports, it’s also one that attracts the highest number of viewers on television. So from that point of view it’s got to be attractive to them.”

The gauntlet

Despite the international appeal of the world’s fastest growing sport, there is still the shadow of the stigma that has afflicted it since its birth. White says misconceptions among the ranks of the people that hold its future in their hands that could override any arguments about financial benefits. 

“There is a dislike of the violent aspect of the sport,” he explains. “We know that MMA is incredibly safe and follows a stringent rule set and medical process. But in the IOC there are people that don’t recognize MMA as a sport and in fact see it as little more than street fighting. There are officials out there from other sports that are even calling for MMA to be banned. So that’s something we need to overcome. We need to educate those people and, of course, it’s only a matter of time.”

There’s also the potential for opposition for governing bodies of other sports to stand in the way of mixed martial arts and its campaign to be recognized as an Olympic sport. “At any stage, other (combat) sports can object – to both the WADA application and to Sport Accord. And if that happens the applications gets killed right there. Swimming couldn’t object but taekwondo or kickboxing or combat sambo – if they objected to allowing MMA to become a signatory member of WADA code then we won’t be allowed to become a member,” White explains.

And that is a very real possibility because of one sport in particular. Publicly, mixed martial arts has had the most problems with judo. The European Judo Union (EJU) stripped the UK of the European Championships last year when it baulked at plans for a sponsorship deal with the UFC. Then the head of the French Judo Federation warned any member teaching MMA would be excommunicated from their organization.

White sighs: “We’ve actually met with the governing bodies for most other combat sports, and they’ve welcomed us with open arms. They’re actually encouraging and helping us. They want to work with us. Yet the one group that is completely hostile to us is my own former sport, judo. And there is no reason for it. The reasons they give simply don’t stand up. 

“They talk about migration of athletes, yet Ronda Rousey is probably the only really high-profile judoka that has switched to MMA, and she did so long after confirming her judo career was done. In the last 10 years the transition from judo to MMA has been marginal. MMA is not for everybody. But the way they talk about it is like there is this massive exodus. But that’s just not happening.”

The waiting game

So realistically, when can we expect every box to be ticked and every hoop to be jumped through so armbars can become as much a part of the world’s biggest sporting occasion as the 100m sprint? In time for the Tokyo Games in four years? Unlikely. White says it’s impossible to put a time on it, but the chances of acceptance within the next few decades are better than ever.

“If you’d have asked me 12 months ago what our chances were, I’d have said very slim. But 12 months on – when you look at how rapidly our membership has grown and the competitions and tournaments we are working on… We’ve hosted general assemblies. We’ve got elected directors. It’s all moving forward.

“Also, things are really changing at the IOC. Ever since Thomas Bach came in (as president), he’s made a lot of changes. They are even looking at how they award Olympics and reviewing which sports are in and which are not. 

“They are doing a complete 360 on the way they do business. So there is a massive opportunity for MMA to prove itself and become an Olympic sport. It’s not going to happen by 2020. It’s probably not going to happen by 2024. But 2028 and 2032 are realistic targets. That’s a realistic time frame as far as I am concerned.”

 “I’m sure it will happen in our time. We’ve come so far in just the last 12 months. Look at the controversies surrounding some of the other bigger more established sports. Look at he chaos they are going through (with) fundamental things like good governance and anti doping. We are in a far better place than they are.”

Amateur hour

Olympic acceptance from MMA won’t see major promotions’ rosters being ransacked every four summers. You won’t see 2032’s versions of Stipe Miocic, Michael Bisping and Conor McGregor taking time out to represent the American, British or Irish Olympic teams. The plan is to showcase the best non-professionals in the world.

While boxing’s amateur governing body, AIBA (International Boxing Association), pushed through a controversial new rule this year to allow pro fighters to represent their nations at the Rio Games, the IMMAF insists this is not on its agenda.

“No, that’s not something we are interested in,” White states. “I would also add that the boxing decision did not result from IOC pressure. This was entirely driven through by the AIBA, and from what I have read so far it has not been universally applauded.”

Never better

Amateur mixed martial arts is in a stronger position than ever and it showed at the 2016 IMMAF World Championships this year. The third annual edition of the tournament was the biggest yet. Staged in Las Vegas during UFC International Fight Week and broadcast on Fight Pass, it featured more than 250 athletes from 40 countries.

“That’s double what we had in 2015,” says IMMAF boss Densign White. “The Worlds has just gone from strength to strength. To have twice as many countries and twice as many athletes competing is just phenomenal.

“We do that by allowing each nation to enter two athletes per weight class, which is new for this year. And the move is simply down to the fact we were getting such a strong response. We had so much quality. It would be a shame to leave one behind.

 “Speaking from experience from my own judo career, if you can only send one athlete then it also affects the development of the weight category in that country because nobody but the number one can get any international experience.”