By Press Release

The International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) is proud to officially welcome its national representative in Uzbekistan, the Uzbekistan MMA Association (UMMAA).

Headed by interim President Umarov Otabek Mukhammadalievich, the UMMAA is registered as non-profit organisation with Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Justice and recognised and funded by the Ministry of Physical Culture and Sport, as the country’s first and only governing body for MMA.

The registration of the Uzbekistan MMA Association on 23 October 2019 opened a new chapter for the sport in Uzbekistan, as it obtained legal recognition for the first time. The UMMAA has already signed up 10,000 members indicating the popularity of the sport locally and the timeliness of this development.

The key stated aims of the Federation are:

· to develop amateur and professional MMA competitors in Uzbekistan

· to launch regional federations across all 14 regions of Uzbekistan and branches in all cities to which local clubs can join

· to open dedicated sports schools and academies

· to hold annual national championships and local open tournaments for amateurs

· to develop sponsorship partnerships to support the building of infrastructure and training facilities across all the regions of Uzbekistan

· to organise regular international amateur and professional events in Uzbekistan

The Federation hosted its inaugural National MMA Championships in March with 235 participants from all 14 regions of the country.

UMMAA President Umarov Otabek Mukhammadalievich commented:

“MMA is becoming a very popular sport in Uzbekistan. Therefore, there was need for a national governing body to oversee its development. We plan to work closely with IMMAF to develop rules and regulations for the sport both nationally and internationally. We also look forward to fully representing Uzbekistan at an international level in IMMAF Amateur Championships. Hopefully one day our beloved sport will become Olympic sport and our athletes will have chance to show their skills to the world.”

IMMAF President Kerrith Brown said:

“I am pleased to welcome the Uzbekistan MMA Association, as our newest representative in Asia, which is a growing market for us. We are looking forward to hosting our World Championships in Kazakhstan this year, as global events permit, and our next Asian Open Championships in 2020 also in Kazakhstan and seeing the Uzbekistan National Team debut on these platforms. We also embrace the opportunity of holding a potential future Championships in Uzbekistan.”