ONE Championship announces partnership with MMA governing body GAMMA

In a massive bid to bring amateur mixed martial arts to the Olympics, ONE Championship and Global Association of Mixed Martial Arts (GAMMA) have announced a partnership, in a clear push to develop the sport at the grassroots level.

GAMMA is the independent governing body for the sport of mixed martial arts worldwide.

“ONE Championship is thrilled to announce a multi-year partnership with GAMMA, the world’s independent governing body of the sport of mixed martial arts,” said ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong through a Press Release.

“As a lifelong martial artist, I am personally invested in developing the amateur mixed martial arts scene, and ensuring that all athletes have the right foundation and support to pursue a professional career in this sport.”

Based in Amsterdam, GAMMA is a non-profit organization founded in 2018 made up of thought leaders and pioneers in mixed martial arts across five continents with decades of experience in the sport. GAMMA is headed by its President, Alexander Engelhardt, and its members are made up of national federations across over 60 countries.

GAMMA’s objective is to obtain international recognition for mixed martial arts as an Olympic sport, in order to give all amateur mixed martial artists the platform and opportunity to fulfil their dream of competing on the Olympic stage.

This partnership will also see ONE work closely with GAMMA to develop and promote the best practices in health and safety standards, anti-doping regulations, and competition rules for the daily safe practice of competitive mixed martial arts at the amateur level.

In addition, GAMMA is set to hold its Amateur MMA World Championships in Singapore this November, showcasing the world’s biggest and brightest young martial arts talents on the most prestigious global amateur mixed martial arts platform.

“On behalf of GAMMA, I would like to thank ONE Championship for their support and commitment to the sport of mixed martial arts. As a lifelong karate practitioner, I am passionate about delivering the same level of international recognition to the discipline of mixed martial arts,” stated Alexander Engelhardt, President of GAMMA.

“Both GAMMA and ONE celebrate the authentic martial arts values of integrity, humility, honor, respect, courage, discipline, and compassion in the same spirit as the Olympics. With this philosophical foundation, GAMMA and ONE aim to elevate the sport of mixed martial arts and prepare it for entry into the Olympics.”

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 4/16/2019.