Las Vegas – UFC® today announced a partnership with the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) in a move to champion the growth of safe, clean mixed martial arts (MMA) at the amateur level. UFC® will work closely with the IMMAF and provide vital financial and administrative backing, while also leveraging the vast global platform the UFC has built for communication and education initiatives.
Formed in 2012, the IMMAF has undertaken a number of important initiatives including athlete safety, regulatory work and grass roots development of the sport as well as being the global governing body of amateur MMA with 40 national federation members.
Lou Lauria, UFC Vice President for Federation Relationships and Corporate Social Responsibility said: "UFC® believes in the ability of amateur sport to affect positive change in society and is committed to contributing to those efforts globally. If you are an amateur MMA athlete, you should become engaged with the IMMAF on the national and community level and contribute to the positive developments being made in the sport."
IMMAF Chief Executive Officer Densign White also believes the partnership will help elevate amateur MMA at all levels of the sport, saying: "IMMAF's renewed and strengthened partnership with UFC is game-changing for MMA as a whole. Not only do we have the continued support of a key originator of contemporary mixed martial arts, but also of the world's biggest player in the sport; based on its confidence that IMMAF can and is making a difference.
"IMMAF's main work is to develop safety standards for all participants, particularly at recreational and amateur levels. The forward thinking approach of UFC in supporting IMMAF, which evolved from the MMA community for the MMA community, will surely help the sport to develop. Longer term it will enable the sport to prosper and grow to a point where its participants can enjoy the same levels of protection, education, respect and benefits as those practicing other sports. UFC partnership will help IMMAF substantially on many levels, from commercial to technical to media, and in turn this will benefit amateur MMA's practitioners globally."
Additionally, UFC® will again play host to the IMMAF World Championships as part of International Fight Week, which in 2014 saw 110 male and female athletes represent 22 countries in over 100 fights. The tournament, which runs from July 6 through 11, will culminate at the UFC Fan Expo at the Sands Expo & Convention Center, July 10-11, 2015 in Las Vegas and will be broadcast live on UFC FIGHT PASS. The IMMAF World Championships of MMA is the first international competition for amateur MMA to be organized by a non-profit, democratic governing body in accordance with Olympic values.
Tickets to the UFC Fan Expo are available at www.ufcfanexpo.com with two-day passes beginning at $60 online and $65 onsite. One-day passes begin at $35 online and $45 onsite.
For additional information please visit UFC.com, and follow UFC on Twitter @ufc.
For more information regarding the IMMAF, please visit www.immaf.org and follow on Twitter @IMMAFed
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