Does MMA Have a Governing Body? Let’s Break It Down

If you’ve been watching combat sports for a while — maybe you’re a fan of boxing, kickboxing, or MMA — you’ve probably noticed something interesting. In boxing, fighters chase after prestigious belts like the WBC, WBA, IBF, or WBO titles. In kickboxing, there’s the ISKA, IKF, and WAKO organizations handing out championship belts. But then you look at MMA, and it’s like, “Wait a second, why don’t I hear about any global governing bodies here?”

The short answer? MMA does things a little differently. Let’s dive in and make sense of how MMA operates when it comes to champions, promotions, and governing bodies.

The Governing Body Concept: Boxing vs. MMA

In boxing and kickboxing, you’ve got independent governing bodies. These are official organizations that set the rules, rank fighters, and ultimately hand out belts to world champions. They work outside the promotions, meaning fighters from different promoters can all chase the same WBC or IBF title.

Why is that important? It adds credibility, ensures fairness, and keeps promoters from calling all the shots when it comes to rankings or title fights. Plus, it helps limit corruption (though, as most boxing fans will tell you, that’s not always foolproof).

MMA, however, took a different route from the jump.

So, Who Runs MMA?

In MMA, the promotions themselves act as the governing body, more or less. There’s no “MMA WBC” that ranks fighters globally and awards a world title. Instead, the top promotions — like the UFC, Bellator, or ONE Championship — each crown their own champions in various weight classes.

The UFC, as the biggest and most influential promotion on the planet, is the gold standard. If you hold a UFC belt, you’re often viewed as the best in the world, even without a third-party governing body stamping it. It’s a bit like how the Premier League champions in football are considered top dogs even without an outside organization stepping in.

So, while boxing and kickboxing rely heavily on independent sanctioning bodies, MMA mostly leaves it to the promotions to handle rankings, matchmaking, and title fights.

Are There ANY MMA Governing Bodies?

Kind of, but not in the way you’d expect.

There are organizations like the IMMAF (International Mixed Martial Arts Federation), founded in 2012, and newer national bodies like EMMAA (English Mixed Martial Arts Association), which launched more recently. These groups help with amateur MMA regulations, athlete development, and pushing for MMA’s recognition as an official sport globally.

However, they don’t control the pro scene the way the WBC might in boxing. They’re more about setting guidelines, pushing safety standards, and helping amateurs progress.

If you look at Matchroom Boxing, for example — one of the biggest boxing promotions — they still use outside bodies like the WBA or IBF to sanction their titles. But the UFC doesn’t work like that. The UFC awards UFC titles, period.

Why Doesn’t MMA Have One Central Governing Body?

It comes down to how MMA evolved. When the UFC launched in 1993, it basically was MMA for a lot of fans. Over the years, other promotions popped up — PRIDE in Japan, Strikeforce, Bellator, ONE Championship — but the UFC remained the powerhouse.

Since promotions like the UFC manage their own rankings, champions, and matchmaking, there’s less pressure to adopt a global governing body. Plus, having in-house champions gives promotions more control and marketability.

Another factor is that MMA is still relatively young compared to boxing. Boxing has been around for centuries; MMA has only really blown up in the last 30 years.

Current UFC Champions (2025)

Since the UFC is seen as the top dog, here’s a quick look at their current champions:

Men’s Divisions:

• Heavyweight: Tom Aspinall
• Light Heavyweight: Alex Pereira
• Middleweight: Dricus du Plessis
• Welterweight: Leon Edwards
• Lightweight: Islam Makhachev
• Featherweight: Ilia Topuria
• Bantamweight: Sean O’Malley
• Flyweight: Alexandre Pantoja

Women’s Divisions:

• Featherweight: Vacant
• Bantamweight: Raquel Pennington
• Flyweight: Alexa Grasso
• Strawweight: Zhang Weili

See what I mean? The UFC is essentially setting the standard for who the best fighters in the world are.

The Role of Referees, Medics, and Athlete Safety

Even though there’s no global MMA governing body overseeing pro fights, fighter safety is still a top priority. Every promotion — whether it’s the UFC or a smaller regional show — is required to have qualified referees, medics, and follow athletic commission guidelines in most regions.

In fact, back in 2017, the UFC even partnered with Hospital for Special Surgery, marking its first official hospital partnership to provide top-notch medical care for its athletes.

What About Other MMA Promotions?

The UFC might be the “premier league” of MMA, but it’s far from the only game in town. There are several respected promotions around the world, each with its own champions:

• Bellator MMA – Now part of the PFL umbrella as of late 2024.
• ONE Championship – Huge presence in Asia, mixing MMA with Muay Thai and submission grappling events.
• Rizin Fighting Federation – Japan’s top MMA show, with a flair for big entrances and wild cards.
• Cage Warriors – A European staple and a launching pad for many UFC fighters.
• M-1 Global – Russian-based, with a strong regional following.

Each promotion runs its own show, develops fighters, and crowns its own champions. And while smaller promotions might not have the global pull of the UFC, they’re crucial to the sport’s ecosystem.

The Grassroots Scene: UK Promotions

Here in the UK, the MMA scene has been growing steadily. I’ve seen firsthand how regional shows can shape careers.

FCC (Full Contact Contender) out of Bolton is one example. Started by Adam and Lauren Teh, it began as an amateur show with pro-level production quality. Now, it serves as a platform for both amateur and pro fighters — one standout being Lerone Murphy, who made his way to the UFC.

Then you’ve got shows like Cage Warriors Academy South East (formerly BCMMA), Shock n Awe in Portsmouth (where even UFC stars like Molly McCann have competed), and CSMMA in Guildford, which has hosted big names like Oli Thompson.

At one point, BAMMA was Europe’s top promotion before shutting its doors, but it played a major role in elevating fighters who eventually moved to the UFC or Bellator.

Final Thoughts: Could MMA Benefit from a Global Governing Body?

It’s a mixed bag. Some fans argue that MMA could use a unified body to create undisputed world champions across promotions — similar to how boxing has its undisputed titles. Others believe that the UFC, Bellator, and ONE Championship already provide enough structure and competition.

The reality is, MMA grew up a little wild and free, and that’s part of what fans love about it. Fighters can still work their way up, make a name in regional promotions, and eventually get “the call” to join a major show like the UFC or ONE.

At the end of the day, whether you’re watching a packed UFC arena in Vegas or a grassroots show in a UK sports hall, the thrill is the same — two warriors stepping into the cage to test themselves at the highest level.