Time for change in the sport is now, say Arab MMA federations

TDT | Manama

Mixed Martial Arts was the last sport to fully adhere to the advice of several worldwide health organizations and postpone and/ or cancel its events for the foreseeable future. The UFC made last-ditch attempts to go through with shows in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic, shedding a poor light in the entire sport by doing so. After pressure from around the globe, including from BRAVE CF president Mohammed Shahid, the UFC bowed down and decided to postpone its next shows. However, the UFC’s stance of ignoring safety measures to stop COVID-19 has raised a red flag in the way the sport is run.

Arabic mixed martial arts federations have stood by the sports side of mixed martial arts and claim this is a time for a change. While criticizing the UFC’s decision to move ahead with shows, Shahid called out everyone involved with the sport to unite in the pursuit of worldwide regulation, that can focus on the development of MMA instead of focusing on money. Presidents and dignitaries from federations across the Arabic world have thrown their support at this proposal. They were baffled by the UFC’s stance of going against the flow when all other sports were shutting down and setting an example by doing so.

They agreed that MMA needs to set an example and that the UFC was doing the sport no favours. Mohammed Qamber, president of the Bahrain MMA Federation, was adamant that organizing any type of event in this climate was “irresponsible”, and that the MMA world should follow the examples of other sports organizations. “The MMA world needs to set an example and this is not what it is doing by going ahead with events and putting several people in danger of contracting and spreading COVID-19 in the process,” Qamber said. Saudi MMA Federation president, AbdulAziz Julaidan gave a first-hand account of how Saudi Arabia was forced to postpone its biggest sporting event of the year announced and called on the MMA world to go by all medical standards in these extraordinary times.

“We are facing a biological war and at this time we need to all do the same in order to defeat this enemy and get back to our normal life routine. No risks should be taken and the cure is simple: stay home”, said Julaidan. Mohammed S. Hamdan, president of the Jordan MMA Federation, claims it is time for a change in the MMA scenario, and that now is the time for such change to take place, following poor handling by the UFC of their events. “Years ago, MMA has been overshadowed and seen as not suitable to be called a sport. We can’t and won’t go back to these times. In order to keep moving forward, something needs to change. The change must start now,” Hamdan said.