Mixed Martial Arts | Will MMA become Olympic? With new rules for the games

Even with stricter rules, MMA remains a tough sport: Yerkingali Burkutalin (l., Bahrain) and Mukhammad Nabiev (Kazakhstan) in the final of the Asian Games in the weight class up to 77 kilograms. Photo: imago/Xinhua/Zhou Mi Galastein Tan is convinced that what is happening before his eyes will sooner or later also be fought among the five rings. »The athletes show very different techniques in the fight! The excitement and fascination are there, the fans are enthusiastic and relaxed," comments the man in the suit as he looks spellbound at the opponents in the arena. »And I think that's exactly what the Olympic Games are looking for, right? For sports that are fit for the future!«

Tan is the general director of the Federation of International Mixed Martial Arts, or Fimma. With the organization founded at the end of 2025, the Singaporean wants to achieve what others have failed before him: mixed martial arts, MMA, should become Olympic. The association is setting up offices in Singapore and Switzerland. The sport combines punching and kicking techniques with throws, levers and ground fighting. However, his image is shaped by blood, broken bones and commentators celebrating the fierceness of the fighters. The cage in which many fights take place reinforces this impression.

"Olympic boxing is also quite different from usual boxing, and no one complains about that."

This is what the most commercially successful MMA organization, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), stands for. In June, at the invitation of US President Donald Trump, she held fights on the lawn of the White House to mark the 250th anniversary of US independence. The octagonal cage was there too.

In the sports hall in Nagoya, Japan, where Tan explained his plans in September, things look different. Fighting takes place on an open mat, with shin guards and stricter rules. The usual cage is missing. Elbow strikes to the head are prohibited. MMA is a medal sport for the first time at the Asian Games. For Tan, a stage victory on the way to the Olympics.

“I don’t think ‘violence’ is a suitable term for mixed martial arts,” he says. There are also risks of injury in Olympic martial arts. "That's why we focused on introducing a set of rules that minimizes or reduces these risks."

This resonates with the athletes. The Filipino Jean Claude Saclag thinks the new variant is better because he can “do a lot more fights”. He just won a fight. The slim, wiry man speaks quietly, almost shyly. Was he missing something from traditional MMA? Saclag shakes his head. »Sure, elbow and knee strikes to the head are allowed. But that's why you only fight once and then have to recover for weeks. After a fight it's over."

And the fans? Is MMA losing some of its fascination due to stricter rules? Seamus Dolan from New York sees this calmly. He is fascinated by the variety of techniques that can be used in combat. For him, MMA is a metaphor for life: many things can be tried, but not everything works. An Olympic variant would therefore not be a betrayal of sport. "Olympic boxing is also quite different from usual boxing, and no one complains about that."

It is therefore conceivable that MMA would hardly lose any fans if it were included in the Olympic program. Whether new ones will be added is another question. Motockney Nuquee from Tokyo follows several martial arts, but doesn't think much of MMA. "Fans celebrate the whole thing as a spectacle of violent impulses that are not about sporting fairness, just about primitive violence." Adrenaline is used specifically in other martial arts. "But in MMA it seems as if the fighters are controlled by their adrenaline."

Tan counters. In Nagoya, the fighters bow before and after the encounters, gestures of fairness can be seen everywhere. »Values ​​and respect play a big role in this. Respect for the opponent, respect for the fans, respect for the association. Sport is about bringing people together.

That's not enough for the Olympics. Several organizations claim to represent MMA worldwide. The International Olympic Committee does not yet recognize any of these associations. Without this recognition the path remains blocked. The program has already been set for Los Angeles 2028. MMA does not currently meet the requirements for Brisbane 2032 either, an IOC spokesman told Deutsche Welle.

MMA also competes with other contenders for limited spots in the Olympic program, including kickboxing, Muay Thai and Wushu. Teqball, a version of football played on a curved plate, and wakeboarding are also included in the program. Tan remains confident: »We are a popular sport. And we want to get to the Olympics as quickly as possible.«

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