In October France’s Ministry of Sports released a decree concerning combat sports held on French soil. In that decree the Ministry ruled that the use of ground strikes within French combat sports was illegal, effectively outlawing the sport of mixed-martial-arts (MMA). The Ministry’s decree also prohibited combat sports from taking place in a cage.
The French MMA Federation (CFMMA) and the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) immediately responded to the French Ministry of Sports’ decree. CFMMA president Bertrand Ammoussou told Bloody Elbow that his organization would “fight to overturn” the decision.
IMMAF president Kerrith Brown told Bloody Elbow his organization was “dismayed” with the decision and blamed “special interest groups” for the ban on basic MMA elements.