As of September 1, the Finnish Mixed Martial Arts Federation will be introducing new medical standards for both amateur and professional fighters.
Finnish MMA Chairman Heikki Kaijalainen confirmed the Federation’s changes to MMA PLUS, with the first set of new medical procedures to be implemented next month.
Governed by the FMMAF, the amateur MMA Finnish team have been an integral member body of the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation, the leading international body of amateur MMA. In July, Bantamweight fighter Abdul Hussein claimed a Gold medal for his nation at the 2016 IMMAF World Championships.
As of September 1, amateur mixed martial artists will undergo blood tests every six months, as opposed to once a year.
With the announcement of bi-annual blood testing, IMMAF CEO Densign White commended the Finnish MMA Federation’s positive move to increase the safety of its athletes.
“Increasing frequency of blood tests further decreases risk of transmission of blood borne viruses among athletes, and increases opportunity for detection and treatment of treatable viruses,” said White.
“IMMAF welcomes any move by its members to promote athlete safety and well being. This move brings the Finnish MMA Federation’s bloods requirements in line with IMMAF’s and Safe MMA’s, which also require bi-annual testing. It is a positive policy decision.”
As well as the increased amateur standards, the Finnish Federation are also increasing their procedures for professional mixed martial artists, too.
From Sept. 1, all professional MMA events will have to provide their fighters with brand new gloves. This is to stop the possible transfer of disease with gloves being used on multiple athletes.
However, the most significant changes for pro fighters will come into effect at the beginning of 2017.
Pro fighters will require annual medical tests including an Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA), followed by an Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) every two years.
This will be the new guideline for all athletes in Finnish MMA, but the Federation also advises further MRI scans for fighters if necessary.
Additional to this, Fin MMA will also be implementing new medical regulations for professional events. This includes: the necessity of extra oxygen equipment at the venue as well as the requirement of a medical team.
Pro events will be required to have a doctor and medical team at ringside, with amateur shows requiring a doctor or nurse to be in attendence.
“I hope being active will send a strong message,” commented Fin MMA Chairman Kaijalainen.
He added: “Like the world is never ready. We are not going to wait until all the promoters are ready for changes, we set the standard at the new level and challenge our local circles to increase their level.”
