Paris (AFP)
MMA is launched: eight months after the legalization of mixed martial arts under the aegis of the French Boxing Federation, it is time for the first official evenings in France for this sulphurous discipline in search of respectability.
No more events organized on the sly and without authorization.
MMA (acronym in English of + mixed martial arts +) finally comes out of hiding with the holding of two galas in the space of three days in the Paris region, Thursday in Vitry-sur-Seine ridden by French promoters (MMA GP) , then Saturday at Bercy with the entry on the scene of the Americans from Bellator, the second most important organizer of fights behind the all-powerful UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship).
A real departure for this extreme combat sport which allows kicks, punches, knees and elbows, as well as kicks on the ground, chokes and keys inside a cage.
France has long been one of the last major countries to officially ban MMA before a turning point started in 2017 which resulted in February 2020 in the choice of FFBoxe to organize this controversial but very popular discipline, with the "objective to see the mixed martial arts fly on their own and become an autonomous Federation within three, four years, "according to the authority.
It was about time because with nearly 40,000 practitioners in hundreds of clubs and a worldwide development under the impetus of the UFC, valued at 4 billion dollars (3.6 billion euros) when it was acquired in 2016, it it was becoming difficult for the public authorities not to regulate this growing phenomenon.
- "Athletes, not the marginalized" -
"It's wonderful to see MMA arrive in France, for all the athletes and practitioners of this sport who wanted it to be legislated and democratized, and to show that it is not a sport of madmen, said veteran Cheick Kongo (45 years old), former UFC on the bill Saturday in Bercy under the Bellator banner. We are finally considered as athletes and not marginalized who fight in cellars. "
Since the designation of the FFBoxe, immense work has been done to build a sporting code specific to MMA, with all the safety and medical aspects linked to the practice, and to define certifications and training for judges and coaches.
A digital platform was also launched on September 9 for licensing.
"We are in working order for an increasing and gradual rise", according to Lionel Brézéphin, the MMA referent at the FFBoxe, even if the number of licensees is still timid because of Covid-19.
"Finally, people will get to know the sport," said Cyril Gane, one of the few Frenchmen under contract with the UFC. This sport does not deserve this image and the fear it engenders.
A bad image in particular due to the famous hits on the ground.
- The UFC in ambush -
"It is one of the least dangerous combat sports by far, argues Cyril Gane. Boxing is more dangerous. A boxer takes a knockout, falls and gets up to fight. He can take three knockouts in a minute. In MMA, the referee stops the fight as soon as the integrity of the fighter is at stake. In the UFC, there is a monstrous medical follow-up. They have an image to sell and therefore they make three more than the others. "
"In boxing, 90% of the blows are carried on the head, in MMA there is a distribution of the zones of percussion with phases of fight", explains for his part Lionel Brézéphin of the FFBoxe.
"It's a very, very + coded + sport with precautions like you've rarely seen in combat sports. Since 1992, there have been no serious accidents or fatalities in modern MMA," he adds. coach Fernand Lopez, boss of the MMA Factory, the main breeding ground for pro fighters in France.
The opening of the French market is in any case observed with great interest by the essential UFC, which intends to settle permanently in France.
For now, the American mastodon still prefers to wait a few months to see the health situation improve before organizing an event in due form with all its barnum and decorum.
"The UFC will arrive, it lets the minor organizations make this sport known to the French before disembarking, analyzes Cyril Gane. It's a strategy. But everyone is waiting for the UFC."
© 2020 AFP