Call for further regulation of amateur MMA

After the death of Michael Kirkham at the University of South Carolina-Aiken Convocation Center following a mixed martial arts fight on Saturday, a small ripple might turn into a huge wave.

As a guy who has covered boxing for more than 25 years, I wondered how long it would take before a very close examination of MMA began.

Believe me, it’s needed, and it’s about to begin.

I’m not going to launch into a stop-the-violence tirade and lobby to shut down the sport. I have the utmost respect for athletes who match skills in any kind of boxing or martial arts endeavor.

I have covered MMA events in California that I thought were well done and well received. I hope the sport flourishes.

With that said, I detest the way it has been supervised to this point.

Some states are very responsible when it comes to overseeing combative sports and others are not. Unfortunately, when it comes to MMA, even the states that have done a great job keeping a sport such as boxing as safe as possible, have lagged during the MMA craze.

So what irks me most when it comes to sanctioning MMA events? It has been the reluctance to protect the so-called amateurs.

All over this country, amateur kickboxers are allowed to climb into a ring without proper protection such as headgear or heavier gloves. They have been allowed to beat the heck of each other, and they don’t even receive a dime.

There needs to be a definite separation between the pro and amateur ranks. An amateur should not face the physical risks that the pros face in a match.

Basically, what we have seen are some blood-sucking promoters rake in the dough by hosting amateur shows, while sending the fighters away with lots of lumps and no money.

Some states have been slow to develop rules governing the sport. That has to change.

Although MMA is quite different than boxing, it should be held to the same safety standards. Remember when boxers used to fight 15 rounds? That went by the wayside because it was determined that those final rounds subjected the athletes to the most dangerous situations. Title fights were limited to 12 rounds.

MMA organizations need to take a close look at the lengths of their rounds and the total time of a bout.

Boxing referees were pressured to stop fights sooner when the athletes appeared to be in trouble. It opened referees to more criticism, but by and large it was a great trend.

MMA referees must get the same directives.

Boxers came under closer scrutiny when they applied for licenses. They had to pass medical exams and they had to show their talent in the gym to an official before they were allowed to compete.

Just before I left Indiana to come to Pocatello, I knew an MMA fighter who hadn’t trained in months but was allowed to fight simply because they had an opening on the card.

That kind of situation creates the potential for disaster.

While boxing officials in most states are well established, the newness of MMA events has, perhaps, allowed officials to take charge with little to no scrutiny.

Any state that allows MMA events needs to be even more thorough than it would in hosting a boxing event.

Then when something tragic happens in the ring, it can, indeed, be called an accident.

Read entire article…