Mixed martial arts has been confirmed as a sport for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
The Korea Mixed Martial Arts Association (President Jung Moon-hong) expressed their welcome to the inclusion of MMA in the Asian Games. This is good news for the Korea Mixed Martial Arts Association, which has consistently engaged in international activities such as the Asian Championships held by the Asian Mixed Martial Arts Association (AMMA), a member organization of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA).
President Jung Moon-hong said, "AMMA President Gordon Tang has worked very hard during the preparations. Secretary-General Kim Geum-cheon, Secretary Kim Sung-tae, and Referee Yang Seo-woo, who worked hard in Korea, have also put in tremendous effort. I am grateful to the national representatives Son Jin-ho, Bae Dong-hyun, and Jeon Wook-jin, who have consistently participated in the Asian Championships over the years."
The Korea Mixed Martial Arts Association merged with the World Fighting Sports Organization (WFSO) and United Korean Combat (UKC) on July 25, 2023, and has been active as the Korea MMA Federation for two years. However, from January 2025, they decided to go their separate ways, allowing WFSO to change its name back to the Korea Mixed Martial Arts Association.
National team members and international referees who participated in all Asian Championships and international referee training hosted by AMMA from 2023 to 2024 have moved to the Korea Mixed Martial Arts Association (President Jung Moon-hong) to prepare for the Asian Games.
The Korea Mixed Martial Arts Association dispatched four international referees, Kim Sung-tae, Yang Seo-woo, Jeon Wook-jin, and Park Jun-yong, for international referee training from August 11 to 17, 2023, where the first international referees in Korea were born. During the 1st AMMA Asian Championships from August 18 to 20, 2023, the four referees were active.
The Republic of Korea MMA national team's head coach, Kim Geum-cheon, led the men's team including Lee Sang-kyun, Cheon Seung-mu, Kim Ha-jun, Son Jin-ho, Jin Seong-hoon, Bae Dong-hyun, and Choi Eun-seok, who won the best referee award. Player Park Han-bin won the best female player award, while Jin Seong-hoon took silver, and Son Jin-ho, Lee Sang-kyun, Bae Dong-hyun, and Kim Ha-jun won bronze medals.
From July 6 to 13, 2024, four international referees Kim Sung-tae, Yang Seo-woo, Jeon Sung-won, and Seo Hye-rin participated in the 2nd AMMA Championships. From 2023 to 2024, the number of international referees increased to six, and national team member Park Seo-young won a silver medal, while Lee Bo-mi and Kim Ha-jin won bronze medals, achieving the remarkable feat of all three participating athletes winning medals. At the end of the event, international referee Yang Seo-woo received the best referee award.
On October 10, 2024, three international referees Yang Seo-woo, Jeon Sung-won, and Seo Hye-rin were dispatched for the Manila MMA Open, and international referee Yang Seo-woo was invited as an international referee training instructor and departed to promote national prestige.
Since 2023 to the present, the Korea Mixed Martial Arts Association has consistently participated in international competitions with a total of six affiliated international referees and 20 national team athletes.