Mixed Martial Arts is now one of the National Sports Federations in Nigeria as announced on Tuesday, April 5, 2023.
While announcing the new development in his office in Abuja on Tuesday, the Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Sunday Dare, said the Federal government approved the creation of the Nigerian Mixed Martial Arts Federation (NMMAF) on January 11, 2023.
The new federation will be under the supervision and control of the Ministry of Sports and Youth Development.
In his address, the sports minister urged the federation to work toward identifying and nurturing talent at the grassroots level in addition to pushing the game toward a position of world-class excellence through the formulation and maintenance of tough rules.
Mixed martial arts is one of the sports with one of the fastest rates of development, with 449 million followers worldwide. In line with that, the minister urged the new federation to develop it as a thriving sport in Nigeria.
He said, “The approval, which was granted on January 11, 2023, follows a series of interfaces between the federation’s board and the ministry and satisfied the condition precedent, under NMMAF’s acceptance to abide with the Code of Governance of all National Sports.
The recognition has also saddled the federation with the responsibility to develop, regulate and ensure the safety of Mixed Martial Arts as a thriving sport in Nigeria in line with global best practices.
