The English Mixed Martial Arts Association (EMMAA) has proudly announced an affiliation with four promotions this morning.
EMMAA Affiliate Shows
This morning, EMMAA announced that they were working closely with promotions to keep brand standards high in a social media post this morning. Almighty FC, Golden Ticket, Rise & Conquer, and Meltdown FC were all named as affiliates.
When speaking with Paul Reed of EMMAA, he was full of praise for the move. “Building the first level of affiliate shows is a huge step forward for English MMA, especially following the announcement of EMMAA as shadow sanctioning body in partnership with UFC. The safety of our athletes is paramount, and the promoters have a desire to represent MMA in the right way.”
He also mentioned that other promotions have reached out regarding affiliation and will be announced in the coming weeks.
“Collaboration is key, and EMMAA along with all affiliate promoters will continue to drive better standards together and continue to evolve the practice for competition standards.” Paul had a lot to say regarding the collaborations, which was extremely helpful in understanding the logistics of the move.
Ray Thompson, Paul Sutherland, Dan Cassell and Carl Liddle were all extremely helpful in organising the initial process. They have ensured safe practice for all of their shows, giving fighters a brilliant platform to grow their stock on.
Safe practice is massively important for mixed martial arts. Fighters need their priorities put ahead of the financial gain for promoters, and all of the people involved in these shows make sure this is the case. Every show showed always involves careful matchmaking, ensuring that each fight is 50/50.
Ensuring Fair Practice
In January, I spoke to Ray Thompson of Almighty, and he left me with this quote: “when you watch a fight, you don’t want to know who wins before it starts.” That message definitely resonates with all of these promoters who put the fighters first.
EMMAA are consistently looking to partner with promoters who want to prioritise the sport’s growth. Taking the step is a massive move for the future of UK MMA, boding very well for the crop of fighters coming through. Their organisation is built around putting fighters first and is worth looking at.
It will now be interesting to see how EMMAA’s partnership with the promotions plays out across the rest of 2022. Make sure to keep an eye out for yourself and watch the progress as our sport continues to evolve. Every single show is different, but it is great to see them collaborating together towards a common goal.
It will now be interesting to see how EMMAA’s partnership with the promotions plays out across the rest of 2022. Make sure to keep an eye out for yourself and watch the progress as our sport continues to evolve. Every show is different, but it is great to see them collaborate towards a common goal.
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Featured image credits EMMA
