MMA makes its debut at Asian Games, but is it fighting a losing battle for recognition?

With minimal razzmatazz, an absence of semi-clad women carrying boards, or childish pre-fight hype, little evidence of claret on canvas and certainly no cages, this is not the MMA you know – and that is exactly the way officials want it. The sport made its debut at the Asian Games this week, an important step in a journey it hopes will lead to inclusion in other continental multi-sport events and eventually a place on the biggest stage of all, ideally at the Brisbane Olympics in 2032 if all goes...