The legalization process of mixed martial arts and its effects on both practice and practitioners: The case of France

Abstract

As a genuinely contemporary sport, mixed martial arts (MMA) was born and developed throughout the twentieth century, during which time it remained fairly marginal, only to find a more formal and mediatized format in the 1990s. The first legal events in France began taking place in 2020. Consequently, how did legalization influence the evolution of MMA practice, both in training rooms and during competitions? The research is primarily based on 21 semi-directive interviews and the observation of five events (pankration/kempo rules) in France, between 2011 and 2015. The last step included the legalization phase of the sport between 2019 and 2022 and four professional events observed in France (MMA rules). Ten interviews were carried out with federal or organizational figures, in addition to trainers and fighters. The main result shows that MMA in France was already sportivized before legalization. Legalization tends to reassure individuals and parents.

Sport véritablement contemporain, le Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) est né et s’est développé au vingtième siècle, période durant laquelle il est resté marginal, pour trouver un format plus formel et médiatisé dans les années 1990. Les premiers événements légaux en France ont eu lieu en 2020. Dès lors, comment la légalisation a-t-elle influencé l’évolution de la pratique des arts martiaux mixtes, tant dans les salles d’entraînement que lors des compétitions? Notre recherche se base sur 21 entretiens semi-directifs et l’observation de cinq événements (règles pankration/kempo) en France, entre 2011 et 2015. La dernière étape comprenait la phase de légalisation du sport entre 2019 et 2022 et quatre événements professionnels observés en France (règles MMA). Dix entretiens ont été réalisés avec des personnalités fédérales ou organisation- nelles, des entraîneurs et des combattants. Le résultat principal montre que le MMA en France était déjà sportivisé avant la légalisation.

Keywords:

• mixed martial arts
• legalization
• France
• institutionalization
• sportivization

Mots clés :

• arts martiaux mixtes
• légalisation
• France
• institutionnalisation
• sportivisation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Since 2019, UFC is under contract with ESPN. In France, RMC gets TV rights for some lives. The L’Équipe channel gets TV rights for replays.

2. See table of observations.

3. Finish is a term used by adepts of this sport to designate victory achieved before the time limit.

4. The French Boxing Federation, the Karate and Associated Disciplines Federation, the Kickboxing Federation, the Muay Thai and Associated Disciplines Federation, the Wrestling and Associated Disciplines Federation, the Savate French Boxing and Associated Disciplines Federation, and the Work Sports and Gymnastics Federation

5. Tapology, https://www.tapology.com/..

6. Ibra Tv has 4.6 million followers on YouTube. His channel contains 45 MMA events unregulated in France until December 2022.

7. The study of Ali, Peacock, and Tartar, published in 2021, proves a significant decrease in self-reported training frequency in MMA during the Covid-19 pandemic.