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Proposed governance · Social protection for MMA

Bringing MMA together
to protect its people

Federations, professional organisations, athletes and experts would work together on insurance, preparation financing and supplementary retirement. The structure below is the White Paper’s proposed model; appointments and operating rules remain subject to approval.

Steering CommitteeFounders of HonourCommissionsAmbassadorsStructure

Proposed model · Subject to approval

How responsibilities connect

Representation, expertise and delivery work within the framework set by the General Assembly.

General Assembly

Sets the framework

Steering Committee

13 seats · 12 voting + 1 advisory

4 committeesRepresent members and oversee specific responsibilities
  • Federations
  • Professional organisations
  • Support Fund
  • Ambassadors
5 commissionsPrepare evidence and recommendations
  • Social Protection & Athletes
  • Technical & Grading
  • Ranking & Competitions
  • Ethics & Integrity
  • Development

Operational team

Implements approved decisions

A working model, subject to the competent bodies’ decisions. Named appointments are not announced on this page.

The responsibilities in detail

General AssemblySovereign body
The General Assembly adopts statutes, elects the Steering Committee, approves accounts and sets strategic directions. Eight proposed colleges represent the project’s constituent groups; detailed rules remain subject to approval.
Steering Committee13 seats · 12 voting + 1 advisory
The proposed committee arbitrates decisions, budgets and recommendations within the General Assembly’s directions. Each of its twelve voting seats has one vote. The technical operator holds an advisory seat without voting rights.
Federations CommitteeTerritorial representation
Member federations coordinate access to protection, club needs and amateur results. They mobilise professional organisations in their territories and elect a voting representative to the Steering Committee. Admission and voting procedures remain to be defined.
Pro Organisations CommitteeContributions and shared services
The proposed committee brings together ten founding organisations and fifty additional affiliates. It coordinates contributions, Pockets PRO and verified results, and elects one voting board representative.
Support Fund CommitteeFinancial oversight
The committee supervises investment policy, liquidity and the Fund’s long-term sustainability. It works with the Social Protection & Athletes Commission on eligibility and proposed payments.
Ambassadors CommitteeSeven regional zones
The committee supports territorial deployment, listens to local needs and has a voting representative on the Steering Committee.
Specialised commissionsFive areas of expertise
The commissions examine dossiers, consult the people concerned and submit recommendations to the Steering Committee. Social protection guides their work.
Operational teamDaily implementation
The paid operational team implements approved decisions, administers member services and coordinates the work of the institution.
Founders of HonourHistorical experience
This enduring title recognises experience and representation. The proposed holders participate in the General Assembly, official events and the highest grades. It is distinct from the Honorary President’s board seat.
Proposed composition · 13 seats · 12 voting + 1 advisory

Steering Committee

The founding committee would serve on an interim basis for no more than eighteen months before renewal through General Assembly election procedures. The roles below do not announce confirmed appointments.

Voting seat · 1 vote

President

Chairs the work and represents the institution.

Voting seat · 1 vote

Honorary President

Contributes athlete experience and sporting representation.

Voting seat · 1 vote

Vice-President

Supports the President, coordinates commission work and contributes regional representation.

Voting seat · 1 vote

Secretary General

Oversees statutory compliance, official acts and institutional control.

Voting seat · 1 vote

Treasurer

Oversees financial policy, budget commitments and relations with the Fund.

Voting seat · 1 vote

Technical Member

Contributes expertise on technical and teaching standards.

Voting seat · 1 vote

Development Member

Contributes to development and partnerships with federations and organisations.

Voting seat · 1 vote

Athletes’ Representative

Brings the voice and needs of active professional fighters.

Voting seat · 1 vote

Pro Organisations’ Representative

Elected by the founding organisations to represent their collective interests.

Voting seat · 1 vote

Federations’ Representative

Elected by the Federations Committee to represent member federations.

Voting seat · 1 vote

Ambassadors’ Representative

Represents the committee and territorial needs; designation remains to be determined.

Voting seat · 1 vote

Support Fund Representative

Represents the Support Fund Committee; designation remains to be determined.

Advisory seat · No vote

Technical Operator Representative

Advises on implementation and technical feasibility. Has no vote on any matter.

An existing seat for the federations

Before international recognition, the Federations Committee elects its board representative. Under the proposed model, recognition of an international MMA federation by SportAccord and the IOC would give it the chair of this committee and its existing board seat. No additional seat or separate committee would be created; transition procedures remain to be formalised.

How a proposal becomes a decision

The General Assembly sets the framework. Committees represent the needs of their members, commissions prepare the evidence, the Steering Committee decides and the operational team implements.

  1. Referral

    Committees and members bring forward needs under the applicable procedures.

  2. Examination

    The competent commission consults stakeholders and prepares a recommendation.

  3. Decision

    The Steering Committee arbitrates and ratifies within the approved framework.

  4. Implementation

    The operational team carries out the approved decision.

  5. Follow-up

    The originating commission and the relevant committee review its application.

Enduring title · Distinct from the Honorary President

Founders of Honour

The proposed role brings historical experience to the General Assembly and official events and may include co-signing the highest grades. Names will be announced only after the relevant agreement; the White Paper’s proposed profiles are not confirmed appointments.

Technical preparation · Recommendations subject to ratification

Five specialised commissions

Commissions prepare and examine decisions; they do not replace the governing bodies. Their final membership and the size of any enlarged commission remain to be approved.

Social Protection & Athletes

Prepares eligibility criteria and protection standards, including the Solidarity and Historical Recognition schemes, with the Support Fund Committee.

Technical & Grading

Prepares grading and examination standards, instructor certification and progression frameworks.

Ranking & Competitions

Prepares the Ranking framework, qualifications and the verification and integration of fight results.

Ethics & Integrity

Addresses conduct, conflicts of interest and institutional integrity; supervises the proposed Guardian monitoring system.

Development

Prepares territorial development, federation and professional organisation participation, institutional relationships and patron partnerships.

Seven proposed regional zones

Ambassadors Committee

Ambassadors would support federations, ceremonies and the use of the passport, grades and Ranking. Their committee has one voting board representative. Regional interfaces, including the overlap between the Americas and the United States, remain to be defined.

1
North and South America
2
Africa
3
Europe and United Kingdom
4
Middle East, North Africa and CIS
5
United States
6
Oceania
7
Japan
Proposed governance framework

Rules for each body

General Assembly

Commission presidents and founding professional organisations each have one AG vote. Exceptional decisions require a simple majority of votes cast and agreement from two-thirds of the founders’ college. Other AG decisions use a simple majority; detailed quorum procedures remain to be formalised.

Steering Committee

Twelve voting seats each carry one vote. The technical operator’s thirteenth seat is consultative only. The President abstains from decisions directly concerning the operator, and interests are declared and supervised.

Commissions and committees

A commission president has two votes within that commission; a founding organisation has two within the Pro Organisations Committee, versus one for an affiliate. Fund and Ambassadors Committee presidents have two votes within their committees. These weights do not automatically apply to other bodies; the Federations Committee’s voting rules remain to be defined.

Terms and continuity

Outside the board’s founding interim, the reference term is three years, renewable once, with a three-year break before returning to the same body. The Ambassadors Committee president has a two-year term, renewable once. Specific federation rules remain to be defined.

Accountability

The General Assembly, board, commissions and committees each have defined responsibilities. Human review, independent audits and traceable decisions are part of the proposed oversight model.

Approval and publication

Compositions and procedures are proposals, not adopted statutes. Public names require the relevant agreement. Remaining voting and transition details must be settled by the competent bodies.