MONTE CARLO, Monaco (November 1, 2016)- The Mexican MMA Commission (COMEXAMM) and Colombian MMA Federation (FECODEAMM), respectively led by Hector Molina and Jaime Arturo Pena, have partnered to provide a bi-national undercard in lieu of the recent cancellation of the inaugural World MMA Association (WMMAA) Pan-American Division Championships due to problems associated with the hosting Chile Federation.

The Mexico vs. Colombia fights will be on the undercard of the November 18^th Combato Extremo event, promoted by Ubaldo Marroquin, at Auditorio National, Monterrey, Mexico.  Mexican and Colombian fighters who were supposed to compete in the aforementioned WMMAA Pan-American Division Championships can now have the opportunity to be in action.

Molina has been instrumental in WMMAA Pan-American Division development since 2014 as president of the Mexican Commission of MMA, as well as the Pan-American Director of the Regulatory Committee.

“That first year,” Molina said, “we are focused on identifying the best parts of he WMMAA regulatory programs – its people, programs, systems and processes – then quickly and effectively integrating these parts into a stronger centralized continental organization partner with improved, more useful, more impactful systems and resources.  When you bring together multiple organizations there are real differences that need to be addressed, including cultural, and business operations, as well as geographic differences.”

Molina and his leadership team studied the WMMAA systems, maintained what successfully worked, and improved other aspects to build a new network.  They retained top talent and aligned them with COMEXAMM’s bold culture, also adding some new people in areas perceived as non-optical to support business.  Ultimately, Molina bold a team that embraced core values and visions for regulatory that was instilled in him by mentors and years of experience.

“We started with the premise that we hire the best people in the industry; that we train them well, and offer them cutting-edge resources and skills.  We empower our people to make smart decisions and, most importantly, we trust our people key members like Gustavo Cantu.  This trust is critical to our success.  When we empower and trust people, they want to take ownership, not only for results, but for how we get our results.”

One of Molina’s first accomplishments at WMMAA has been the restructuring and realignment of the rules and regulations committee to mirror the company’s operating model.  The Continental Rules and Regulations Committee was built on the principle guard railing the unstoppable growth of MMA and given the dynamic nature of WMMAA.

“Moves like these, from leaders like Hector Molina, are the ones that many organization would dream about in moments of crisis,” WMMAA Pan-American Division president Tomas Yu remarked, “giving a new definition to what it means to be part of the WMMAA family.”

The WMMAA Pan-American Division is a leader of a new industry category – growth Federation – powered by a committee to growth, focusing on MMA as a sport area leadership, in addition to dedication to operational excellence, investment in research and development innovation, and a strong focus on its members.

To maintain its position as an industry leader, WMMAA Pan-American Division practices what it calls, “Living Bold.” This culture embraces five principles: building bridges, powering ideas, acting fast, driving results, and always doing what is right.  Molina and his team create regulatory strategies, systems, and programs that embody this culture.

“As opposed to being a back-room function that primarily creates policies and performs audits, my teams are aligned with the business units and are in the field with them daily,” Molina explained.  “We advise in real time and proactively collaborate in strategy and planning meetings so our business can come up with innovative ideas, act fast, and quickly drive results.”

“My team knows that I am a bit of a regulatory geek when it comes to our work.  It’s extremely exciting from a strategic perspective because it allows us to become a more valuable partner to the colleagues who run the business.  We’ve always had strong, productive and active strategies.  And we always will!  By continuously challenging the status quo, asking ourselves how we can do things differently, and ultimately advancing our regulatory program, we will make a meaningful contribution to helping the WMMAA be bold, act fast and power ideas.”

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