MMA Grand Prix, often abbreviated MMA GP, is a professional

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

promotion based in

Vitry-sur-Seine Vitry-sur-Seine () is a commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France, from the centre of Paris. Name Vitry-sur-Seine was originally called simply Vitry. The name Vitry comes from Medieval Latin ''Vitriacum'', and before that ''Victoria ...

Val-de-Marne Val-de-Marne (, "Vale of the Marne") is a department of France located in the Île-de-France region. Named after the river Marne, it is situated in the Grand Paris metropolis to the southeast of the City of Paris. In 2019, Val-de-Marne had a pop ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

History

MMA Grand Prix was created in 2020, upon the legalization of MMA's internationally accepted rules (which include ground strikes) by the French government. Their first card was held on 8 October of that year, in presence of French Minister of Sports Roxana Maracineanu. It was the first organization to present MMA in France under its complete ruleset. It is sanctioned by the French Mixed Martial Arts Federation, a subsidiary of the

French Boxing Federation The French Boxing Federation french: Fédération Française de Boxe or FFB) is the governing body of both amateur and professional boxing in France. Presidents Emile Grémaux was the President of FFB for a long time. Martin André is the cu ...

, which has been accredited by the Ministry of Sports to regulate the activity. Co-founder Éric Konako Faubert is a London-based promoter for Muay Thai Grand Prix, an international

thai boxing Muay Thai ( th, มวยไทย, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, is a combat sport that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. This discipline is known as the "art of eight limbs", as it is characterised ...

promotion, with whom MMA Grand Prix shares common branding. The promotion's first card held outside of the

Paris region Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, The Last of the Kings in

Le Havre Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very cl ...

, featured a comeback fight from veteran

kickboxer Kickboxing is a combat sport focused on kicking and punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, general ...

turned mixed martial artist Jérome Le Banner. It served as a tribute to Le Banner's training partner and Le Havre mayor

Édouard Philippe Édouard Charles Philippe (; born 28 November 1970) is a French politician serving as Mayor of Le Havre since 2020, previously holding the office from 2010 to 2017. He was Prime Minister of France from 15 May 2017 to 3 July 2020 under President ...

who, during his term as

prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

, was responsible for the legalization of French MMA. It was Le Banner's first MMA fight outside of Japan.

Notable fighters

Cédric Doumbé Cédric Doumbé (born August 30, 1992) is a Cameroonian-born French professional mixed martial artist and former kickboxer, currently fighting in the Welterweight division. In kickboxing, he is a former two-time Glory Welterweight Champion. Do ...

Karim Ghajji Karim Ghajji (born January 16, 1981), is a Moroccan-French kickboxer and B-boy. He is a former Glory Welterweight Championship challenger. Combat Press ranked him in the welterweight top ten between September 2014 and April 2018. Biography ...

* Jérome Le Banner *

Mickaël Lebout Mickaël Lebout (born August 16, 1987) is a French mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division. A professional since 2011, he has competed in the UFC, M-1 Global, and Cage Warriors. Mixed martial arts career Early caree ...

* :fr:Laetitia Blot

Media

Select MMA GP shows, including the company's inaugural card, have aired on the

UFC Fight Pass UFC Fight Pass is an American subscription-based video streaming service owned by the UFC's parent company, Zuffa, that launched in December 2013. History Fight Pass showcases live and on-demand mixed martial arts, submission grappling, kickboxi ...

. In May 2022, the promotion inked its first television deal with

Sport en France Sport en France is a French free-to-air sports television channel. It was launched in 2019 and is headquartered in Boulogne-Billancourt, near Paris. In 2020, the channel signed on a content exchange program with France Televisions. History Spor ...

. However, French media authority

CSA CSA may refer to: Arts and media * Canadian Screen Awards, annual awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television * Commission on Superhuman Activities, a fictional American government agency in Marvel Comics * Crime Syndicate of Amer ...

still bans MMA broadcasts before 10:30 pm, forcing some fights to be shown on tape delay. MMA GP made its

premium TV Pay television, also known as subscription television, premium television or, when referring to an individual service, a premium channel, refers to Subscription business model, subscription-based television services, usually provided by multichan ...

debut with a 17 December 2022 card from

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...

, which was broadcast on

RMC Sport 2 RMC may refer to: * Radio Monte Carlo, a radio station operation in France, Monaco and Italy ** RMC (France), the French version of Radio Monte Carlo *Renal medullary carcinoma * Rotherham Central railway station by its National Rail code * Royal M ...

References

External links

Official website

MMA Grand Prix
at

Sherdog Sherdog is an American website devoted to the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). It also has many forums and discussion pages on the many topics of MMA like records, promotions, etc. The site is a member of the CraveOnline network and provides MM ...

{{MMA organizations Mixed martial arts organizations Mixed martial arts television shows Sports organizations established in 2020 2020 establishments in France