The World Mixed Martial Arts Federation (WXF) announced on the 24th that the ‘2025 Gyeongju International Mixed Martial Arts Competition’ will be held in Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk, the site of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.
The APEC summit will take place in Gyeongju from late October to early November. This international mixed martial arts competition will be held in Gyeongju in October to commemorate the APEC summit, featuring mixed martial arts fighters from 21 APEC member countries.
To prepare for this event, WXF and the city of Gyeongju signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on this day. The two sides plan to establish a comprehensive cooperation system covering ▲ event organization and operation ▲ invitation of international athletes ▲ external promotion ▲ expansion of international exchanges.
WXF plans to hold the ‘MMA World Cup’ next year, taking this Gyeongju event as an opportunity. It is also promoting a project to urge that mixed martial arts become an official event in the Olympics in the future.
Mixed martial arts (MMA) has more than 700 million fans worldwide. Lee Gak-Soo, president of WXF, said, “Through this event, I will develop mixed martial arts as an international sports diplomacy platform to be expanded as a means of inter-country diplomacy, cultural exchange, and conflict resolution.”