French Boxing Federation will oversee initial phase of legalized MMA in France

The French Boxing Commission (Fédération Française de Boxe) has been tasked with overseeing the implementation of legalized mixed martial arts in France.

France had long been one of the last European holdouts on legalizing the sport but finally did in 2019, with an eye on getting started Jan. 1. The launch was delayed late last year, but now things appear to be moving forward. The country’s minister of sport, Roxana Maracineanu, tasked the boxing federation with getting things up and running on a supervisory level.

“Having requested and analysed all relevant information received from a number of combat federations who were interested in welcoming MMA, we have decided, by an official Ministerial Decision, to delegate the sport of MMA to the French Boxing Federation,” the ministry stated.

This is not a permanent marriage, as the federation will oversee things for two years. The International Mixed Martial Arts Federation issued a statement supporting the selection.

“We are delighted to see that Boxing will now be the partner of MMA in France, where it has extremely well established and respected structures,” IMMAF president Kerrith Brown said. “Above all, we believe that by partnering with boxing, MMA will show that it shares a willingness to create the right culture and values, especially in membership and education programmes for athletes, coaches and officials.

The country banned the sport in 2016 with the proviso it would be legalized when it came under the jurisdiction of a French sports federation.

The UFC, who has a major star with French ties in heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou, has stated interest in running a show in Paris once legalization is finalized.