Issue 143

UFC president Dana White has stated he'd love to see mixed martial arts in the Olympic Games. The UFC has even gone as far as publicly backing the recently formed International MMA Federation, which aims to organize the amateur sport with Olympic participation as the eventual goal. 

IMMAF president August Wallen realistically acknowledges that it's, “a long way down the road,” and that much public education will be required first as well as the creation of recognized national federations, leading to international amateur competitions. 

“You have to compete with other sports that want to go into the Olympics,” he explains. “We need to find a country that would like to have MMA as a demonstration sport at the Olympics when they organize it. Which countries would be interested in doing that? Then it comes down to, 'OK, which country will get the next Olympics?’” 

It's definitely no-go for Tokyo 2020; Paris 2024 looks unlikely so maybe it will be Los Angeles 2028 where MMA gets to make its bow among the five ring spectacle.