The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

AS the sport of mixed martial arts continues to grow in the Bahamas, the country’s governing body seeks to gain legitimacy by joining the sport’s international governing body.

The Bahamian mixed martial arts community is in the final stages of preparation as it readies to join the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation.

To that end, IMMAF President Kerrith Brown visited the capital on a site visit to meet with stakeholders and assess the local state of the sport.

“Our role is to get new countries under our affiliation and our job is to be the main governing body globally. We currently have 53 international governing bodies and we are growing at 23 per cent, so by the end of this year we look to be at about 70 international federations. This is probably the fastest growing sport in the world at the moment,” Brown said.

“Our job is to work with international federations to develop regulations. We need to make sure there is a good safety element around the sport and it’s important for us to understand that the safety of the athletes is paramount, therefore we have to make sure we manage that with our federations through education. A lot needs to be added to grassroots programmes so developing a competition structure is also a major priority.”

Brown, a former Olympic bronze medallist for the United Kingdom in judo, has served as president of the IMMAF since June 2015. “We want to make sure that we develop a governing body to stand alongside the likes of FIFA, IAAF, FIBA and other major governing bodies of various sports. With a new sport you will always get an influx of youngsters coming through and we want to build that and we look forward to the youth engagement. For the Bahamas I think it’s a massive opportunity. We have to make sure there is development for the athletes moving forward and it shows the global reach we hope to attain,” he said. “The reception has been very good in the region and the Bahamas is a huge part of that. In five years down the line we will have somewhere around 150 federations but we have to meet the demands of the sport and its popularity. To meet those demands there is a lot of work that has to be done. The federations have to demonstrate that they are in control and they govern mixed martial arts in the country. We do our due diligence and that has been the case here in the Bahamas.”

IMMAF states is purpose to further the development and recognition of the sport of mixed martial arts, enabling international competition through the organisation of national MMA federations around the world.

 Among IMMAF’s members today are national federations across Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada, Denmark, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, The Hasemite Kingdom of Jordan, Lebanon, Lithuania, Mauritius, Malaysia, Nepal, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Romania, The Seychelles, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Ukraine, United Kingdom and USA.

Brown said the affiliation will pay immediate dividends for the Bahamas.

“The federations that come under our umbrella are entitled to bid for events like the Continental Championships, World Championships or the other events. The main benefit is the growth and development of the sport through networking, assistance, education and training,” he said,  “The main benefit is that the Bahamas will be involved with a governing body that has a strong vision to become an Olympic sport and benefit your athletes in the future.

 Dr. Kent Bazard of  the Bahamas Wushu/Sanda Association and founder of the BOMAC fight series says the sport of MMA has grown exponentially since the organisation hosted its first show just over a year ago.

 “We’ve come a long way and I’m always looking for the next standard. Right now the next standard is for us to reach the international level. We approached IMMAF last year and received an invitation to move forward. IMMAF is leading the world right now as the authorization body for MMA,” he said, “It immediately adds legitimacy to our events because we are held to an international standard that the IMMAF establishes. For them to support us is a big deal. It forces us to maintain that standard and it helps our local fighters to get a lot of international exposure. For our fighters to compete at home and to be recognized internationally is a great accomplishment and not have to travel halfway across the world, which is a challenge. They will also help us in hosting that international quality event. We will have access to their knowledge, techniques and personnel who will advise us on everything from promotion, setup to the production itself.”

BOMAC is set to host “BOMAC Cage Fights 4: Caribbean All-Stars,” July 30 at a venue to be named later.

“The popularity of the sport is the highest it has ever been. We have had a lot of new members since we have started hosting events,” Dr. Bazard said,  “There is a lot more awareness now and we also have an increased fanbase. That just shows me that the knowledge of the sport is expanding. To provide these fighters with this opportunity is something that rarely happens with Bahamian athletes and I’m honoured to help and facilitate these new opportunities for them.”