MMA organizations

According to MMA portal Tapology.com listings, there are hundreds of mixed martial arts (MMA) promotions producing MMA events around the world.[1] There are hundreds of MMA training facilities throughout the world as well.[2][3]

Current top MMA promotions

This is a list of the current most notable MMA promotions worldwide, companies that produce MMA fighting events.

Since the UFC came to prominence in mainstream media in 2006, and with their 2007 merger with Pride FC and purchase of WEC and Strikeforce, no companies have presented significant competition, and the UFC has under contract most of the top ranked talent.[4] The UFC broadcasts their fights on Fox Sports and others.

Outside of the UFC, the current secondary major MMA organisations that also have on their roster at least 3 top 15 ranked fighters are:

  • Though ranked #20 promotion overall; Japanese, all female MMA promotion JEWELS (DEEP JEWELS) which formed a strategic partnership to cross-promote with Invicta FC since 2012,[5] has many top ranked fighters in their female Atomweight division.[6][7]

Fighters usually get contracts in the above promotions including the UFC after competing successfully in other MMA organisations from around the world.

Some MMA organizations tend to exist more to build up prospects while others have a good mix of prospect/veteran. Some exist only to be feeder leagues to the bigger promotions, others exist to try and be the best in the world. Some organizations only do 4 shows a year while others are doing them monthly. The top 50 regional MMA organisations in the world, compiled on Sherdog forum, have been evaluated by how much talent the promotion currently has, has had in the past, and how notable their fighting venues are while doing so. Popularity has some influence as well. (updated November 2014):[8]

Other MMA promotions

-Right now this list is being built up, please help add to these and put in order of: 1. Promotion’s world-wide name recognition, 2. Time as a pro mma promotion, 3. Number of top high level Pro fighters, 4. Number of MMA events per year.

  • RIZIN Fighting Federation based in Japan and founded by the former Pride FC president. This promotion is partnering Bellator, Bushido, Jungle Fight and BAMMA.[9][10][11]
  • BRACE MMA - [old name: Brace For War] Based in 8 cities, 4 states of Australia. Broadcasts their fights on UFC fight-pass online subscription service.
  • Eternal MMA (EMMA) - Based on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. Eternal MMA holds events in 2 states and 3 cities in Australia. Regular PPV events and popular Youtube channel
  • Respect Fighting Championship - Herne, Germany
  • Universal Reality Combat Championship (URCC) - Manila, Philippines
  • International Fighting Championship (IFC) - Tuolumne City, California USA (Howard Petschler's IFC was the first MMA organization to create a cruiserweight division.) note: a different International Fighting Championship, in Austria and another in Barcelona, Spain that does MMA, boxing & K-1 events.
  • Rage in The Cage (RITC) - Phoenix, Arizona, USA (Legendary promoter Roland Sarria quit under new management Nathan and Nolan Hyland)
  • BAMMA USA - Commerce, California, USA
  • Xtreme Fighting Organization (XFO) - Chicago, Illinois, USA
  • American Predator Fighting Championships - Hoffman Estates, Illinois, USA
  • Battlefield Fight League - British Colombia, Canada
  • Battlegrounds MMA - Norman, Oklahoma, USA
  • Ultimate Challenge MMA (UCMMA) - London, England
  • HOOKnSHOOT - Evansville, Indiana, USA
  • Mix Fight Combat (MFC) - Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia 2009-2011 Promotion went defunct returned Dec 25, 2015.
  • Fight Time Promotions - Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, USA. Broadcasts their fights locally on CBS Sports Network
  • Driller Promotions - Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
  • Dynasty Combat Sports (DCS) - Nebraska, USA
  • Atlas Fights - Biloxi, Mississippi, USA
  • Provincial Fighting Championship - London, Ontario, Canada
  • Hard Knocks Fighting - Calgary, Alberta, Canada
  • Gladiator Challenge (GC) - California, USA
  • Havoc Fighting Championship - Red Deer, Alberta, Canada
  • Arena Tour - Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • Extreme Challenge MMA - Des Moines, Iowa, USA
  • The Hill Fighters - Gramado, Brazil
  • Watch Out Combat Show - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
  • MMA Down Under - Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
  • GRACHAN - Tokyo, Japan
  • Tech-Krep Fighting Championship - Krasnodar, Russia
  • Xtreme Fighting Championship (Australia) - Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
  • Inoki Genome Federation (IGF) (aka: Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye) - Tokyo, Japan
  • OneSilat Championship - a hybrid of MMA - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • Kunlun Fight - China
  • Abu Dhabi Warriors Fighting Championship (ADW) - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirites
  • Real Fight Championship - [Old name: Real Fight MMA Championship] Japanese-managed MMA promotion based in Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
  • Aspera Fighting Championship (AFC, Aspera FC) - Santa Catarina, Brazil
  • Cage Titans Fighting Championship (CTFC, Cage Titans FC) - Boston, Massachusetts, USA
  • ZST - Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan
  • Gladiator Championship Fighting - Prague, Czech Republic
  • Strength & Honor Championship - Geneva, Switzerland
  • Fair Fighting Championship - Herne, Germany
  • Legion/Gladiator Fighting Championship - Grunsfeld, Germany
  • Absolute Championship Berkut - Grozny, Russia
  • Xtreme Kombat - Mexico City, Mexico
  • Desert Force Championship - Amman, Jordan
  • Hip Show: Arena Combat - (2-On-2 Fighting) - Moscow, Russia
  • Max Fight - Sao Paulo, Brazil (different, Max Fight in Bulgaria)
  • Heat - Aichi, Japan
  • Storm MMA - Canberra, Hume, Australia
  • Sugar Creek Showdown (SCS) - Oklahoma, USA
  • King of the Cage Canada (KOTC Canada) - Alberta, Canada
  • Kingdom MMA - Hawaii, USA
  • Ultimate Warrior Challenge (UWC) (Essex, England) & another: Ultimate Warrior Challenge (Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico)
  • Art of War Fighting Championship (AOW) Beijing, China. Last event 2009 returned 2016.
  • The Zone Fighting Championship (ZFC, The Zone FC) - Gothenburg, Sweden
  • Storm FC - Rome, Italy
  • Predador FC (PFC) - Sao Paulo, Brazil
  • Tenkaichi Fight (TF) - Okinawa, Japan
  • Xcessive Force Fighting Championship (XFFC) - Alberta , Canada
  • MMA Berlin - Berlin, Germany
  • Absolute Action MMA (AAMMA, Absolute Action) - Kentucky, USA, Kentucky's Number 1 MMA Promotion. Founded in 2010
  • IMPI Fighting Championships - Southron Station, Hong Kong
  • Shamrock FC - St. Louis, Missouri , USA
  • Lappeenranta Fight Night - Lappeenranta, Finland
  • Bushido Lithuania (BL) - Lithuania
  • Destiny MMA - Hawaii, United States
  • Slugfest - Witkowo, Poland
  • Evolution of Fighters (EOF) - Sao Paulo, Brazil
  • Redemption International Fight Night (RIFN) - Karachi, Pakistan
  • S-1 Fighting - Quebec, Canada
  • Fight Exclusive Night (FEN) - Wroclaw, Poland
  • Venator FC - Bologna, Italy
  • Serbian Battle Championship (SBC) - Novi Sad, Vojvodina, Serbia
  • Ambitions FC - Ekaterinburg, Russia
  • Clan Wars - Belfast, Ireland
  • Shock N Awe (SnA) - Hampshire, England
  • Ansgar Fighting League (AFL) - Barcelona, Spain
  • Conquer FC (CFC) - Richmond, California, USA
  • V3 Fights - Nashville, Tennessee, USA
  • Iron Man Vale Tudo (IMVT) - Amapa, Brazil
  • Potiguar Combat - Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
  • Iowa Challenge - Waterloo, Iowa, USA
  • Midwest Cage Championship (MCC) - Des Moines, Iowa, USA
  • World Cossack Fight Federation (WCFF) - Ukraine
  • Caribbean Ultimate Fist Fighting (CUFF) - Port of Spain, Trinidad
  • Open Fight - Moscow, Russia
  • SteelFist Fight Night (SFN) - Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
  • Malaysian Invasion MMA (MIMMA) (Star Cruise-line fights) - Malaysia
  • The Fight Club (TFC) - was Alberta, Canada moved to Asuncion, Paraguay
  • Kombat League - Pedavena, Italy
  • Alaska Fighting Championship (AFC) - Alaska, USA
  • Sparta Combat League (SCL) - Denver, Colorado USA
  • Egyptian Fighting Championship - Cairo, Egypt
  • Combate Americas - The first U.S. Hispanic MMA franchise, founded by UFC co-creator Campbell McLaren. Seen locally in USA on NBC UNIVERSO.
  • Absolute Fighting Championship (AFC) - Hollywood, Florida USA
  • Prestige FIght Club MMA (PFC MMA) - Weyburn, Saskatchewan, Canada
  • Chiang Mai Fighting Championship (CMFC, Chiang Mai FC) - Chiang Mai, Thailand
  • Ligue d'Arts Martiaux Mixtes du Québec (LAMMQ) - Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
  • Scottish Fight Challenge (SFC) - Stirling, Scotland
  • Soul Fighting Championships - Poland
  • Dragon House (DH) - Zhong Luo's Dragon House is in San Francisco, California, USA
  • Fight UK MMA (FUK) - Leicester, England, UK
  • Real Fighting Championships (RFC) - Tampa, Florida, USA
  • We Love MMA (WLMMA)- [old name: Free Fight Association Germany] - Dresden, Germany
  • Legend Japan (LJ) - Japan
  • North American Allied Fight Series (NAAFS) - Ohio, USA
  • Pancrace Fighting Championship (PFC) - France
  • Tribe Tokyo Fight (TTF) - Tokyo, Japan (Owned by Ryo Chonan ex-UFC, PRIDE, DEEP, DREAM, Pancrase, World Victory Road fighter)
  • Full Metal Dojo (FMD) - Phuket, Thailand
  • International Martial Arts Tournament (IMAT) - Moscow, Russia
  • Jeremy Horn's Elite Fight Night (JHEFN) - Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. Jeremy Horn - Early pioneer fighter, with over 108 fights & counting.
  • League S-70 (S-70, S70) - Sochi, Russia
  • Predador Fight Championship (PFC, Predador FC) - Sao Paulo, Brazil
  • BlacKOut Fighting Championship (BFC) - Kansas, USA
  • Brave (Brave Fight) - Saitama, Japan
  • Wardog Cage Fight (WCF) - Osaka, Japan
  • Philoctetes Niigata (PN) Once a year event Held every November - Japan
  • Demolition Xtreme Fighting Championship (DXFC, Demolition) - Japan
  • Carelia Fight (CF) - South Karelia, Finland
  • World Fighting Championships (WFC) - Nevada, USA
  • Freestyle Fullcontact Fight Championship (F3, F-3 Championship) - Malaysia
  • Chosen Few Fighting Championships (CFFC, Chosen Few FC) - Wisconsin, USA
  • Circuito Team Nogueira de MMA (CTN, Circuito Team Nogueira) - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
  • Dead Serious MMA (DSMMA) - Lincroft, New Jersey, USA
  • FightForce Mixed Style Fighting (FF, FightForce) - Montana, USA
  • Fight to Win Promotions (FTW, Fight to Win) - Denver, Colorado USA
  • Apocalypse Pitbull Fight Championship (Apocalypse Pitbull FC) - Roma, Italy
  • Summit Fighting Championships (SFC, Summit FC) - Mississippi USA
  • Copa Striker's House (SHC, Striker's House Cup) - Curitiba, Parana, Brazil
  • Strike Hard Productions (SHP) - Alabama USA
  • Fight Exclusive Night (FEN) - Wrocław, Poland
  • Fighter Gala (FG) - Copenhagen, Denmark
  • Fighten Decagon MMA Championship (FCMMA, Fighten Championship) - Londrina, Parana, Brazil
  • FIGHT4PRIDE Championship (F4P) - Laval, Quebec, Canada
  • Trophy MMA (TMMA) - Sweden
  • Tayta Fighting Championship (TFC) - Lima, Peru
  • Fighter Soul Promotions (FSP) - Georgia, USA
  • Sporty Walki Gostyń (SWG) - Gostyń, Poland
  • The Clash MMA (TCMMA) - Utah, USA
  • Princesses of Pain (POP) - Women's MMA based out of Auckland, New Zealand
  • Carnage in the Cage (CITC) - Mackay, Queensland, Australia
  • Capital Fight (CF) - Brasilia, Distrito Federal, Brazil
  • Centro de Treinamento De Atletas (CTA, CTA Combat) - Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
  • Worldwide MMA Alliance Championship (世界総合格闘技連盟チャンピオンシップ)- Location: Tokyo, Japan

Past MMA promotions

This is a list of now defunct MMA promotions:

Maybe.. Past MMA promotions.. Promotions we haven't heard from in a while

This is a list of MMA promotions in limbo:

Amateur MMA Organizations

Some may have one or two pro fights but their focus is on AMMY.

Amateur MMA Organizations in limbo

Current top MMA gyms

These are the current top 10 MMA Gyms in the world based on how many top 15 ranked UFC fighters they currently train. There are 160 fighters who train at over 80 different gyms at the top 15 rankings in the UFC 10 divisions. The rankings are based on a system where a champion earns their gym a score of 25 points. A #1 contender is worth 15 points, a #2 contender is worth 10 points with a decrease in ranking equaling a decrease of 1 point until the ranking reaches #10. From there, rankings 11-15 are each worth 1 point. (updated July 2015):[12]

According to SB Nation (mmamania.com) September 2014 rankings, these are the top MMA camps in Asia:[13]

  • AKA (Thailand) located in Phuket, Thailand
  • Team Quest (Thailand) located in Chiang Mai, Thailand
  • Bangkok Fight Club located in Bangkok, Thailand

Current top MMA media

Web data traffic ranking leader Alexa Internet lists 50 online media outlets under its "MMA news and media" website category. As of October 17, 2015: the top 10 most popular websites covering the sport are:[14]

See also

References

  1. Promotions Directory Tapology.com retrieved October 13, 2014
  2. Gym Directory Tapology.com retrieved October 15, 2014
  3. Browse our MMA gym directory mmatraining.com Retrieved October 14, 2014
  4. "UFC's Dana White Talks Competition". BloodyElbow.com. 2011-04-14. Retrieved 2011-04-16.
  5. Press Release (June 7, 2012) Invicta FC Partners with Jewels to Create Top Female Fights. Fight Network Retrieved october 20,2014
  6. (Issue Date: 10/19/2014) Women’s Atomweight (110.9 lbs and under) fighter ranks, Fight Matrix Retrieved October 20, 2014
  7. (October 1, 2014) Unified Women’s Mixed Martial Arts Rankings mmarising.com Retrieved October 20, 2014
  8. Worldwide MMA Discussion/Sticky Threads (November 21, 2014) Top 50 best regional orgs (Fall Update), Sherdog forum, Retrieved December 1, 2015
  9. "RIZIN Fighting Federation". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2015-11-26.
  10. "Newly crowned Jungle Fight champion enters Rizin FF heavyweight tournament". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2015-11-26.
  11. "Mark Godbeer Enters Rizin Tournament As BAMMA Representative". Sherdog. Retrieved 2015-11-26.
  12. Hutchinson, Michael (July 29, 2015) UFC Gyms fight camp rankings, SB Nation (BloodyElbow.com) retrieved September 22, 2015
  13. Goyder, James (September 2, 2014) Ranking the top MMA camps in Asia 2014 edition, SB Nation (mmamania.com) Retrieved October 14, 2014
  14. "Alexa - Top Sites by Category: Sports/Martial Arts/Submission Fighting and MMA/News and Media". alexa.com.
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