Could we see MMA at the Olympics?

Asian Games: Could UFC stop MMA from being an Olympic sport?

The form of mixed martial arts (MMA) making its debut at the Asian Games looks almost completely distinct from the visceral brawls of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), which have come to define combat sports in recent years.

In order to get a version of the sport into the Asian Games, currently taking place in Nagoya, Japan, organizers had to make adaptations. The fights take place without the familiar cage, on an open mat and with small boxing-style gloves. While MMA's presence in the Games is significant in itself, it's also a clear effort to get close to Olympic recognition.

"We think without the cage we will have a better alignment with the Olympic values and hopefully recognition from the IOC," Galastein Tan, the director general of the Federation of International Mixed Martial Arts (FIMMA), told press agency AP . "It takes time to change a perception. We hope to be able to share that there is a new form of MMA, and this form is more aligned with the Olympics."

FIMMA is not the only body purporting to represent the sport, with the International Mixed Martial Arts (IMMAF) also staking a claim. A spokesperson for the International Olympic Committee (IOC), who organize the Olympic Games, told DW that it "does not currently recognize an International Federation governing the sport of Mixed Martial Arts at the world level at this point in time," precluding it from the Olympics for now.

Copyright for this text belongs to Deutsche Welle.