The Ministry of Sports chooses the French boxing federation to supervise the MMA

And the winner is ... boxing! Roxana Maracineanu, the Minister of Sports proposes this Tuesday that the French Boxing Federation receive the delegation of mixed martial arts, in other words the MMA. It is a decisive step towards the legalization of this sport in France. Six federations had made an application, in the spring of 2019, to apply to supervise the MMA hitherto prohibited from competing in France: kick boxing and muay thai, karate, wrestling, judo, French boxing, as well as a Affinity Federation: the Sports and Gymnastics Federation (FSGT). Until a real MMA federation is created in the future, the choice of the ministry fell on boxing.

The fight, however, seemed to have long had the favor of the prognosis. But the financial concerns of his federation may have weighed on his ambitions. In a press release, the Ministry of Sports justified the way in which it made its choice. Detailing “the six requirements expected from candidate federations listed in the specifications: 1. Reception conditions in the federation. 2. The draft rules of practice, integrating the medical supervision of the discipline. 3. The sports project including development and performance. 4. Draft technical and safety rules. 5. The solidarity of professional sport with amateur sport ”.

"There is everything to do and it's exciting"

An advisory committee chaired by Laurent Touvet, prefect of Haut-Rhin, met in mid-December to interview the six candidate federations. Boxing met all of the criteria. "It was natural that our two sports meet and associate so much they have in common, notes Brahim Asloum, the Olympic boxing champion in 2000. Boxing will have to invent a new model and help the MMA that I always have supported to structure itself. We will have to train qualified educators, create all security measures, new licenses. There is everything to do and it is exciting. The French boxing federation will bring all its legitimacy to this spectacular and attractive sport and this is good news. "

MMA: French people across the border

The FFB will also, in this association, win new licensees. It is said that there will be 50,000 to 70,000 MMA practitioners in France, fighters so far banned from competing on the territory.