SCRAPP! FIGHT MAGAZINE
October - 2015
33
allowed to use strikes on
against their grounded op-
ponents, although elbow
strikes were excluded. The
event was organized by
WWFC promoter Vladimir
Teslya.
Commission Française de
Mixed Martial Arts (CFM-
MA), International Mixed
Martial Arts Federation af-
filiate, has been engaging
in a drawn out lobbying
campaign for the right to
hold MMA competitions.
“We always knew there
was a loophole (in the
law) but nobody took the
risk until yesterday to go
so far as to actually orga-
nize an MMA event with
MMA rules in a cage,”
stated CFMMA President
and IMMAF Board Director
Bertrand Amoussou. “This
could have been stopped
at any time but the police
were informed and came
only to witness the sports-
manship of MMA.”
AlthoughMMA is not tech-
nically illegal in the France,
promoters have had dif-
ficulties securing licenses
permitting the use of the
caged safety enclosure or
strikes on the ground.
The CFMMA released the
following statement re-
garding the historic event:
“For the first time an event
reported to the authorities
was held under the Unified
Rules of MMA. This sets a
legal precedent. We now
expect a reaction from the
government. However last
night it was shown public-
ly that the fighting is regu-
lated, structured and sanc-
tioned; that the fighters
are professionals trained in
the various techniques, in-
cluding those used on the
ground; that the audience
are people who attend in
a spirit of friendly sports-
manship. It is for these
reasons that the CFMMA
requests again that the
state and its highest rep-
resentative, Francois Hol-
lande, legislate to recog-
nise the existence of this
sports discipline, and for it
to be permitted under fed-
eral guidelines.”
The CFMMA believe that
the event, which was
sponsored by Adidas Com-
bat Sports, marked the be-
ginning of a new era for
MMA in France and pre-
dict that the breakthrough
may encourage other pro-
moters to hold Unified
Rules MMA events. This
in turn will make govern-
ment recognition of mixed
martial arts as a sport es-
sential, in order to enable
the necessary sanctioning
of events.
