Safety First as Mixed Martial Arts Fights for a Spot at the Asian Games

Mixed martial arts, or MMA, made its debut at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan. But this version of the sport looked very different from what most fans see on television. Organizers changed several rules to make the competition safer and more suitable for a major international event. They hope these changes will one day help MMA earn a spot at the Olympic Games.

At the Nagoya City Inae Sports Centre, fighters wore traditional martial arts uniforms and shin guards for protection. There was no metal cage surrounding the fighting area — just a grey octagon shape marked on an open mat. Moves like dropping a knee onto a fallen opponent were not allowed. These changes may disappoint hardcore MMA fans, but organizers say they are necessary to give the sport a better image.

The group running the competition is called the Federation of International Mixed Martial Arts, or FIMMA. Its director general, Galastein Tan, told Reuters that the new rule set is designed with athlete safety in mind. "It's a sport, a rule set that we believe is more suitable for the Olympic programme," Tan said. He added, "A rule set that we think is very athlete safety-centric." FIMMA was established in 2025 and grew out of an Asian MMA organization connected to Chinese billionaire Gordon Tang.

Even with the rule changes, the action on the mat was still tough and intense. South Korea's Lee Bo-mi was left in tears after a hard takedown from Bahrain's Diana Pogosian during a women's 54kg semi-final match. Pogosian was born in Russia and competes for Bahrain. Moments like that showed the competition was still physical and demanding, even without the more extreme moves.

Off the mat, there is another kind of fight happening behind the scenes. Two organizations — FIMMA and the Global Association of Mixed Martial Arts, known as GAMMA — are competing to become the official governing body of MMA worldwide. GAMMA also claims to be the sport's international federation and runs its own championships. Tan explained that the real prize is recognition from the International Olympic Committee, or IOC. "The ultimate one is who gets the recognition by the International Olympic Committee," he said.

Attendance at the Nagoya venue was low on the second day of competition, with many empty seats and no sponsor logos visible. Still, FIMMA is hopeful that IOC officials will notice the tournament and see the sport's potential. MMA has millions of fans around the world, and organizers believe that kind of popularity is hard to ignore. However, experts say it could still take a long time before MMA is seriously considered for the Olympics, partly because there is no single set of rules accepted by everyone.

In the meantime, FIMMA plans to build support by organizing more regional and continental competitions. They want to show that their version of MMA is easier to set up and more accessible than cage fighting. FIMMA executive vice-president Alexander Engelhardt pointed out a practical advantage: "There is always a judo mat or a karate mat you can use — it's more easy for training and to set up competition." For now, the sport is taking small but important steps toward a much bigger goal.