Is MMA an Olympic event?

Is MMA an Olympic event?

MMA fans from around the world who are tuning in to the Olympics to watch Mixed Martial Arts will be sadly disappointed. The sport is not an Olympic game either in the Summer or Winter games. It’s easy to think it is, after all it’s one of the fastest growing sports in the world right now and the UFC, the leader in the sport, has played host to many Olympic athletes including Ronda Rousey and Daniel Cormier.

There are elements to MMA you can watch in the Olympics like boxing, karate and judo but you won’t be seeing any of these disciplines mixing.

There are various campaigns which are working towards bringing the sport to the games, but at press time, nothing has been made official.

One of the UFC’s biggest stars, retired former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has made it his personal mission to bring the sport he loves to a greater stage.

“The inclusion of MMA in the Olympics is one of my biggest tasks for the next couple of years,” Nurmagomedov said in Russian (h/t ESPN) “We’re already working in this direction.

In the Olympics, with boxing, I think they changed the gloves. They don’t want there to be a lot of blood. But in terms of sponsorships, TV ratings, viewership, the MMA has it, and if it gets in the Olympics, it will be on par with track and field and soccer in terms of interest. This is my personal opinion. And we’re already working in that direction.”

For now, remain vocal about your desire to see the sport in the Olympics and maybe in four years it will have happened.