“It’s a very special gala”: Hexagone MMA organizes the first professional MMA event in Toulouse

How was the idea of ​​Hexagone MMA born?

This is the path to my professional career, which began in 2005. That year, together with my brother Laurent, I created “Fighting Spirit”, a company specializing in the distribution of television rights. Very early on we took a turn around MMA. We worked with a big league, Cage Rage. For the record, I met Anderson Silva, he was sold to me as the future MMA star. It did not fail. We then worked with the UFC and the PFL, all the big organizations. The Hexagone MMA project has existed since 2010. We had the ambition to launch a French league. We thought that the time had come, in 2016, when the national assembly debated to legalize the sport. It was finally a year after legalization, in 2020, that we launched Hexagone MMA. We organized 16 events, throughout France, but also in Germany, the Netherlands and Dubai.

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Toulouse is your hometown. You organize the first professional gala there. What do you feel ?

I had to wait until the 18th edition to work in my hometown (laughs). This is something I’ve been waiting for for quite some time. We have the support of Toulouse City Hall for this event. It is a very special gala, the first professional one in the Pink City. An amateur card is also on the program. We worked together with the club Tactical Fight Team on this project, with whom we share the same sporting values. We gave him all the means to organize it. There will be 10 amateur matches. One of them will allow you to land a professional contract in our organization.

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On the pro card, will we find fighters from the city?

In the heavyweight category, Liam Bruguière will make his second fight with us. The first was at Futuroscope in Poitiers. The Toulouse man won by knockout. This time he will face a Senegalese wrestler. Another resident of Toulouse will be in attendance: Owen Jason is making his professional debut. It is one of the great French nuggets

Why did you choose the sports hall?

As a resident of Toulouse, I wanted this great premiere to take place in the heart of Toulouse, on a Saturday night. It is to allow people who have no affinity for martial arts to come and experience the atmosphere. It will be an opportunity to break clichés about MMA. It’s a sport we talk about more and more. Despite everything, the preconceptions persist.

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How many places are available?

The sports hall has a capacity of 4,000 seats. 1,500 places have already been sold. The aim is obviously to fill the room. Tickets go fast. One thing is certain: we will return to Toulouse.

You organize events throughout France. Why did you choose such a strategy?

It’s in our DNA. MMA belongs to all of France. We are in a country where there is centralization in Paris. We want to go to every city. The only thing MMA lacks is an emotional connection. It is logical, it is a new sport. By going everywhere, we want to create that connection.

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MMA was long perceived as an ultra-violent sport. Do you think this is still the case?

The ban was an argument for many. Now the sport is organized by the French Boxing Federation. Legalization has made it possible to dismantle the clichés. It must be remembered that the cage prevents the fighters from being damaged. And to those who still mistakenly believe that everything is allowed, I want to tell them that this is completely wrong. It is a very monitored sport. There is commitment in MMA, but there is no violence. Violence is when people don’t follow the rules or when spectators fight, that doesn’t exist in MMA. There is respect and fair play between the fighters.

How do you explain the growth of MMA?

At first the French heard that it was not a real sport. The media coverage allowed them to understand that it was not only a real sport, but that MMA is the most complete of all combat sports. The French love judo, boxing… MMA is the synthesis of all these sports. It also helps to answer the question “which discipline is the most effective”.