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Sports governing body From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) was founded on 29 February 2012 as the international governing body for amateur mixed martial arts (MMA). Registered as a non-profit organization under Swedish law, IMMAF serves as a democratic hub for national MMA federations and supports the growth of regulation and sport safety globally by aiding countries in the formation of federations where none exist.[3] IMMAF launched with support of market leader, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).[4][5][6] The UFC is among promotions sanctioned by federations under the IMMAF umbrella in countries that include Brazil and Sweden.[7][8][9][10]
Abbreviation | (IMMAF) |
---|---|
Formation | 29 February 2012 |
Type | Sports federation |
Purpose | Mixed martial arts sanctioning organization |
Headquarters | Grono |
Location | |
Region served | Worldwide |
Membership | 123 |
President | Kerrith Brown[1][2] |
Website | immaf.org |
IMMAF now is in Switzerland (Roveredo via Toveda n. 3) near the Swiss Mixed Martial Arts Federation, which oversaw the transfer in all administrative aspects. In 2023, IMMAF extended its partnership with Brave Combat Federation to expedite the development of the sport at grassroots levels with financial and operational support.[11]
After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine the IMMAF suspended the memberships of the Russian MMA Union and the Federation of Hand-to-Hand Fighting & MMA of Belarus. It barred the Russian and Belarusian federations from participating in all IMMAF Championships, and banned the organization of IMMAF events in Russia and Belarus.[12]
The IMMAF considers an athlete to be on a professional level and thus not eligible for participation if he or she meets any one of the following criteria:
The same from the Unified Rules of MMA plus:
A contestant who was knocked out as a result of a blow to the head, or whose match was stopped by the judge because of several tough blows to the head which have made him/her defenseless and unable to continue, shall be suspended from competition and sparring matches.
Suspension periods starting from the day of the latest match:
Listed suspension periods are minimum periods and can be extended at the physician's discretion.
In the event that a match was not stopped the physician still has the right to decide on a suspension if he/she deems it necessary due to the contestant having received many tough blows to the head
National Federations:[13]
Since 2017, IMMAF has partnered with Brave Combat Federation[15] to host world championships outside the USA.[16] As a result, Bahrain became the second nation to host IMMAF World Championships in 2017, 2018, and 2019. Subsequently, IMMAF partnered with the organization to host the 2021 IMMAF World Cup and 2022 MMA Super Cup.[17][18] Further, the organization hosted its first world championship in Europe by partnering with Brave Combat Federation to host IMMAF World Championships Week from February 10–18, 2023 in Belgrade, Serbia.[19] In partnership with Brave Combat Federation, IMMAF has hosted the first ever World Cup in 2021 followed by 2022 MMA Super Cup in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The promotion also absorbs athletes transitioning from amateur to professional MMA, including major names such as Jose Torres, Frans Mlambo, Mohammed Mokaev, Eliezer Kubanza, Nkosi Ndebele, and many more.[20]
Totals do not include medals from the 2016 or 2017 World Championships.
Ranking | Country | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | United States of America | 6 | 1 | 7 |
2 | United Kingdom | 1 | 2 | 7 |
3 | Sweden | 0 | 7 | 2 |
4 | Italy | 1 | 0 | 6 |
5 | Finland | 3 | 1 | 1 |
6 | Canada | 2 | 1 | 2 |
7 | Poland | 1 | 1 | 3 |
8 | Norway | 0 | 3 | 1 |
9 | France | 0 | 1 | 3 |
10 | South Africa | 2 | 0 | 1 |
11 | Ireland | 1 | 1 | 1 |
12 | New Zealand | 0 | 0 | 3 |
13 | Denmark | 2 | 0 | 0 |
14 | Czech Republic | 1 | 0 | 1 |
14 | Germany | 1 | 0 | 1 |
16 | Kazakhstan | 0 | 2 | 0 |
17 | Lebanon | 0 | 1 | 1 |
17 | Romania | 0 | 1 | 1 |
17 | Ukraine | 0 | 1 | 1 |
20 | Belgium | 0 | 0 | 2 |
21 | Austria | 1 | 0 | 0 |
21 | Brazil | 1 | 0 | 0 |
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