TKO Xtreme

Less than a month after a very nice video was posted all over the internet about “Legalizing MMA in France” (the one above), the news finally came that France has now made MMA legal. Rumor has it that UFC’s Jess Liaudin was behind the push for the legalization process, and I would assume Cheick Kongo would also be supportive of the movement as well. The rules are basically unified rules, minus elbows and that actually is not a bad thing. Maybe we’ll see some Savate in the UFC?! Joking aside, France obviously have a very strong base of Kickboxing, and Jiu-Jitsu is also growing very strongly.Will the UFC hold an event there? Probably not right away, but it’s possible. Last year when I was in Austria, I did noticed that they had a TV show very similar to The Ultimate Fighter. I believe Germany already has legalized MMA so Germany could also be a first stop in the Europe mainland. So far, the first rumored event would be a Shooto event in April in France, not many details yet.

Maybe we need a similar video/push in Ontario? (still dreaming, I know).

Vive la France!

PS: Translation of Video:

I am not a violent man, a bum or a brawler.
I don’t fight in the street or in bars.
I am a practitioner of Kickboxing, Judo, Muay Thai, Wrestling, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
My sport is a combination of combat sports and martial arts.
In France they block the evolution and the transmission of Mixed Martial Arts.
My courage is not respected (known).