The IMMAF has finalised its move from Sweden to Lausanne ©IMMAF

The International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) has moved its headquarters from Sweden to Lausanne as part of its bid to gain formal recognition.

In a statement confirming its registration as a non-profit organisation in Switzerland had been completed, the IMMAF said it had made the switch to be closer to other Federations and governing bodies based in the Olympic capital.

The IMMAF has been based in Sweden since it was established in 2012.

IMMAF President Kerrith Brown said the move "reflects IMMAF's ambitions for mixed martial arts to be recognised as a sport by the Olympic Movement".

The IMMAF has relocated to Lausanne to be closer to other International Federations ©IMMAF
The IMMAF has relocated to Lausanne to be closer to other International Federations ©IMMAF

The IMMAF is locked in a protracted legal dispute with the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) over the umbrella body's repeated refusal to formally recognise mixed martial arts as a sport.

The IMMAF has made multiple applications for recognition but has been turned down on each occasion, a decision which blocks its path to becoming a signatory of the World Anti-Doping Code.

A petition was recently launched by IMMAF in its long-running battle for recognition with the GAISF.

The global governing body has also taken legal action against the World Anti-Doping Agency, and a hearing in the case took place in Lausanne in January.