WV legislature taken to task over MMA bill failure
Once again the West Virginia Legislature has failed to pass a bill allowing the regulation of mixed martial arts (MMA)….
Once again the West Virginia Legislature has failed to pass a bill allowing the regulation of mixed martial arts (MMA). With New York’s governor including such a provision in his budget bill, West Virginia will soon become the only state in the union that continues to ban MMA.
Currently, 44 states allow and regulate the sport, while the remaining four states either have no athletic commission or have not given their athletic commissions jurisdiction over MMA.
Dr. Allen Saoud, senior fight physician for West Virginia, has been quoted as saying one of the reasons he is against MMA is because fighters can “piledrive opponents headfirst into the mat.” Saoud is apparently unaware that piledrivers are a prohibited maneuver under the Unified Rules of MMA, Rule 27 under “Fouls” to be exact. Saoud goes on to speak of “ground and pound” and that elbows, knees and fists are used. He claims this has caused serious injuries in Ohio bouts he has witnessed as ring doctor.
Saoud is mistaken. First, strikes with the knee are prohibited on the ground. Second, downward elbows are prohibited as well in MMA. Third, Bernie Profato, executive director of the Ohio Athletic Commission, says that Saoud has only worked as ring doctor in a couple of MMA events in Ohio for West Virginia promoters. Profato states that these were amateur bouts and elbows were not allowed at all. One can only wonder why the media failed to follow up on Saoud’s claims since it took me less than 10 minutes to receive a response from Profato questioning these claims.
MMA is a billion-dollar industry and could mean big money for West Virginia. According to the Ohio Athletic Commission, the first UFC event held in Ohio brought $11 million in outside economic activity to the state. This means that visitors not only bought tickets for the event, but also patronized the local hotels and restaurants. The event was attended by more than 19,000 people, 40 percent of whom were from out of state, including from West Virginia. Another event in Cincinnati was attended by more than 16,000 people and set a new gate record for revenue.
West Virginia Athletic Commission Chairman Steve Allred cites a study by National Geographic as a reason he is against MMA. He claims that MMA blows are much more forceful than in boxing and can lead to more serious injury. Allred fails to disclose that this was not a study by National Geographic, but a television show called “Fight Science” that airs on its network. It is neither scientific, nor meets the minimum requirements of a study. Allred bases his far-reaching conclusion on the fact that former Olympian and UFC champion Randy Couture can strike harder than a heavyweight boxer who previously appeared on the show. This would be laughable but for the fact that some members of the Legislature take Allred at his word without inquiring further into his “facts.”
Allred’s outlandish “evidence” does not end there. He also cites a letter from the U.S. Amateur Boxing Association stating they do not support MMA in “their territory” because they feel it is unsafe. This stance is similar to the one of horse breeders in the early 20th century who spoke out against the automobile. Both had concerns with the tide of progress and the almost certainty that it would cause them to become irrelevant. Why Allred considers this compelling evidence I do not know.
It appears as if he has settled for championing the cause of boxing against what he views as the outsider sport of MMA.
Lost in this information is the fact that a Johns Hopkins University study found that “the overall injury rate in MMA competitions is now similar to other combat sports, including boxing. Knockout rates are lower in MMA competitions than in boxing. This suggests a reduced risk of traumatic brain injury in MMA competitions when compared to other events involving striking.
Hopefully West Virginia lawmakers will wake up and actually research issues before taking a position. We cannot keep being last in everything.