For a while now I have talked about how there needs to be regulation for both pro and amateur Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) in British Columbia. With municipalities pushing for the Province to form an Athletic Commission, I am sure this will occur in the next two years.
Boy, do I hope so. Especially after reading this article in today’s Vancouver Sun newspaper where, allegedly, young MMA practitioners / students – most under the age of 12 – took part in a seemingly full contact tournament. Weight classes were not enforced; age groups were diverse and males grappled with females. To say this is unsafe and paints MMA in a bad light is an understatement.
The tournament was organized by Maple Ridge based “The Fightpit” instructor Don Whitefield who really should have known better. So too should the parents who entered their kids into the matches with such lack safeguards.
Just like in boxing and hockey, contact elements of MMA should not be introduced until early to mid-teens. This promotes the fundamentals of of the sport and allows the kids to learn the skills they will need to get to the next level.
Thankfully an overwhelming majority of MMA schools, coaches and fighters share this view and the tournament from this past weekend was the really bad exception to this rule.
For more, here is my interview on CKNW’s Bill Good Show from this morning.
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…and here I am on Dave Dickson’s CFAX radio program in the afternoon:
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ADDITION: This was posted on the Vancouver Sun forum purportedly by the event organizer:
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