I know youre not hurt!: controversy surrounding a video of an MMA class where the coach hits children

The association Mouv’Enfants denounces the practices of coach Yom Yidikes, who calls it “defamation”. The MMA Federation confirms that he is not one of its licensees.

Should an MMA coach do this? A viral video on social media has sparked controversy: it shows a sports coach in Villeurbanne, Rhône, kicking children during an MMA class. The sequence, posted on X, has over a million views.

This coach, Yom Yidikes, has previously made headlines for similar videos involving teenagers. He also kicked streamer Inoxtag to the ground at a charity event in November last year.

“Get up, come back quickly!” These words of encouragement from coach Yom Yidikes are directed at the lined-up children who each receive kicks to the chest, causing them to fall or step back several paces. “I know you’re not hurt, I know you’re not hurt!”, he reassures a teary-eyed child.

“This is not how sports should be,” says Arnaud Gallais, president of the Mouv’Enfants association, behind the online petition with over 8,000 signatures. “And we can see that there were children who suffered, who were scared. Even if parents don’t react, we believe it is our civic duty when faced with such images to report them”, he denounces.

In response, Yom Yidikes posted a video on his Instagram account, stating “There is no violence in my gym. We’ll play games too, I will attack you for defamation.”

Prior to this, Yom Yidikes explained to France 2 that “the children are prepared and none have ever been injured during his sessions.” He admitted to “wanting to provoke with his videos, in order to raise awareness for his club.”

“He is not federally qualified,” notes Lionel Brézéphin, in charge of MMA at the French Boxing Federation. “He is not licensed and has never been licensed by the federation. And the organization he is in is also not affiliated with the federation.” He adds, “I would say the images show a teaching that is not at all appropriate. We limit contact with young audiences, who are still developing and growing.”

The Ministry of Sports has not yet provided an official response, but has taken note of the situation.