It would seem that MMA is a good candidate for inclusion in the Olympics. After all, it’s a sport that has been around in some form for centuries and it’s also hugely popular. In fact, it’s gaining on boxing in a contest to be the most popular combat sport in the world.
This continuing rise in popularity has led to an increase in viewing figures. For example, the UFC 261 prelims were the top-rated program across cable in the US when they aired in April 2021. It’s not just MMA viewing figures that have increased, the sport is also achieving more betting interest than ever right now, especially since the legalization of sports betting in many US states. One of the sportsbooks being betamerica.com where you can place bets on MMA events according to the Betamerica details found here. You can see that MMA has very much entered the mainstream betting arena and there are several betting markets to take advantage of.
However, despite this obvious appetite for MMA, the sport was denied Olympic observer status in 2019 even though other arguably less popular sports like match poker and competitive jump rope were accepted to be nominated for observer status. Despite this disappointment, MMA is persisting in its ambition to be an Olympic sport.
MMA not giving up
Justin Brown, the SE Regional Director of the United States Mixed Martial Arts Federation (UMMAF) recently spoke about the sport’s ongoing journey to be included in the Olympics as its popularity continues to surge. He pointed out that the process was ongoing but that it could take a considerable amount of time.
There are still several hurdles to overcome and it’s by no means certain the sport will ever be accepted into the Olympics although those involved with the sport are hoping it will.
Still, a long way to go
If MMA is to be accepted into the Olympic family, Brown has suggested that the process is likely to take several years to complete. The sport is in the process of meeting the criteria required by the Olympic committee. Despite its origins in ancient sports, MMA itself is still relatively new so it’s not unexpected that there will still be many difficulties ahead. All of this means that the sport is unlikely to feature in Paris, in 2024.
This does not mean that all is bleak as far as MMA and the Olympics is concerned. All of those involved with the sport will continue to work hard to secure its inclusion on the Olympic stage. Recently, retired Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov joined the fight for MMA Olympic inclusion.
He spoke of his hope that MMA could feature at the Olympic Games in 2028 which be held in Los Angeles. He also stated that he would help in any way he could to enable this to happen.
If Nurmagomedov is correct, MMA fighters may get their time in the Olympic limelight in the not-too-distant future. Fans of the sport are hoping that this is the case.
