Third season of MIMMA kicks off

Expect bigger and impactful punch as two new categories namely the Female Catchweight Division and the Foreign Pride Catchweight Division have been included in the existing lineup.

According to a statement by MIMMA, the decision to introduce a female category is due to the encouraging number of women fighters turning out for the tryouts during the last season.

"The MMA scene will not be complete without female fighters to continue the legacy of our very own Malaysian MMA Princess Ann Osman, who is also one of Tune Talk’s warrior," said the statement.

Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said MIMMA is about prividing a platform for martial arts enthusiasts from all walks of life to have a shot at success.

"That's what mimma is about... for young person, or not so young but those who are determined to fight, and those who are determined for that shot at success to be able to have their chance and to be able to have their opportunity," he said in a speech at the launching of MIMMA Season 3 (MIMMA3) at Double Tree Hotel in Kuala Lumpur on Monday.

He said the tournament is not just providing a platform for Malaysian fighters to show their skills, but on how far they have further developed the popularity of MMA in Malaysia.

Khairy said based on the performance of MIMMA1 and MIMMA2, the organisation has done a tremendous job in carrying its duty of promoting the sport.

Tune Talk CEO Jason Lo said the MMA scene in Malaysia over the past few years has bloomed from where it was relatively unknown, unfounded and uncool.

"Now we have local tournaments from every corner of our nation. And a burgeoning amateur scene empowered by the understanding and beliefs that amateurs have an advantage, are better informed than ever and can make the right decisions for their careers,” he said.

He also said the overwhelming support from the Youth and Sports Ministry and the setting up of the Malaysian Mixed Martial Arts Association (MASMMAA) is part of all their collective efforts to create the best environment to sustain MMA careers and breed world champions.

"This is the legacy all of us will leave behind. Like a footprint in time, forever will this be known as the moment we got our current, our power and when we were right there during the 'Electrifying Age of Malaysian MMA!” he added.

Meanwhile, ONE Championship CEO Victor Cui said that it's time for Asians to build their own superheroes, taken from the grassroot level.

"MMA is about building our own heroes, it's about time that we build our own supeheroes from the ground up to the professional level," he told Astro AWANI.

The coverage MIMMA received globally was remarkably enormous with 90 million impressions made on Facebook and 500000 hits on mimmalive.tunetalk.com during the Grand Finals capturing eyeballs from 101 countries.