MMA in Afghanistan? Too Violent for the Taliban

The Taliban government in Afghanistan has banned mixed martial arts (MMA) because it is considered incompatible with Islamic law.

An official from the Taliban sports authority told local broadcaster TOLOnews on Tuesday that MMA is too violent and carries a risk of death.

The order was issued by the Afghan morality police, which is attached to the Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.

The ruling follows an investigation into compliance with Islamic law, or Sharia, in sports.

“It has been determined that the sport is problematic in terms of Sharia law and that there are many aspects that contradict the teachings of Islam,” the Taliban’s Directorate General of Physical Education and Sports said in a statement to AFP news agency.

“That is why this decision was made.”

MMA is a popular sport among young people in Afghanistan and has built a passionate local fan base in the two decades leading up to the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.

The Mixed Martial Arts Federation was founded in 2008, while dozens of fights took place at the Afghanistan Fighting Championship (AFC) and the Truly Grand Fighting Championship (TGFC).

Although the movement is not specifically mentioned in official decrees, MMA has been under heavy pressure since the Taliban took over.

In 2021, competitions were effectively banned when the Taliban introduced legislation banning “face-punching.”

According to interviews in MMA publications, some fighters also complained of threats and intimidation by Taliban officials.

Yet at times the authorities appeared to soften their position.

In 2022, top fighter Ahmad Wali Hotak was able to hold a press conference in the capital Kabul to announce an upcoming fight, which he won in Russia.

Upon his return to Afghanistan, he was met by government officials who posed for photographs.

However, most competitors had long since left the country before this latest announcement.

MMA is not yet recognized by the International Olympic Committee, mainly due to safety concerns.

Four of the 11 Afghans who participated in sports at the Paris Olympics, either on the national team or on the refugee team, were originally martial artists.