Mixed martial arts is now legal in France. Among the organizations that celebrated this good news were ONE Championship and the Global Association of Mixed Martial Arts.
Along with Roxana Maracineanu, the Minister of Sport in France, the French national Olympic committee called Comité National olympique et Sportif Français assigned the French boxing commission called Fédération Française de Boxe to oversee and supervise the sport of MMA in the country until December 31, 2020. The commission was selected from the six federations that submitted applications.
Prior to this announcement, the GAMMA had already been in various discussions and meetings with France’s MMA key stakeholders and the Ministry of Sport on how to move forward in the development of MMA in the country. All parties expect more work to be done as further details are ironed out and the decision to legalize the sport of MMA in the country is completely ratified.
The GAMMA provides a safe and competitive platform to build and develop the amateur MMA scene, carving a path of success for athletes who one day aspire to become professional mixed martial artists. Based in Amsterdam, Netherlands, the non-profit organization founded in 2018 made up of thought leaders and pioneers in MMAacross five continents with decades of experience in the sport.
GAMMA is headed by its president Alexander Engelhardt. Its members are from national federations across over 60 countries.
“This development is yet another significant step towards achieving our goal of earning international recognition for mixed martial arts as an Olympic sport,” Engelhardt said of the legalization of MMA in France. “This is a huge milestone in the history of the sport of mixed martial arts in France. Mixed martial arts athletes in France will finally receive the honor and privilege of being able to compete at home, in front of their fans and countrymen on French soil.”
“GAMMA, the official world governing body for amateur mixed martial arts, wishes all the best to all the athletes, participants and fans of MMA in France,” the GAMMA president continued. “We will continue to provide our unwavering support for the growth of amateur mixed martial arts in France, for the betterment of all athletes.”
The GAMMA’s objective is to obtain international recognition for MMA as an Olympic sport in order to give all amateur MMA the platform and opportunity to fulfill their dream of competing on the Olympic stage. Meanwhile, here is a clip featuring Maracineanu:
CONAN Daily 