MMA Commission News
by Zak Woods on Feb 17, 2010 12:15 PM EST
in Wrap Up
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PrintCome on Ontario!
Ontario's Premier told reporters that MMA legalization and regulation is 'not a priority'. I guess that puts a kibosh on the UFC holding an event in Toronto any time soon. Update: Mauro Ranallo just went bananas on his radio show over the situation.
Still Waiting on New York
New York's Secretary of State, Lorraine Cortes-Vazquez, continues to carry water for Governor's Paterson's budget proposal--specifically the portion that legalizes MMA. Cortes-Vazquez wrote her second op-ed arguing for MMA legalization. Hopefully, the Paterson 'bombshell' won't kill his budget proposal.
Where are the freak fights going to happen?
Holy crap! There is currently a bill in Alabama that would give regulatory powers to the Alabama Boxing Commission (which would be renamed). Where are MMA promoters going to go for their freak shows now? WKR is sort of torn, while this is long overdue without the wild west of Alabama we never would have seen this.
Iowa doesn't regulate amateur MMA?
Kind of shocking that Iowa, a state with deep MMA ties, doesn't actually regulate amateur fights. That may change as the Iowa state senate unanimously passed a bill to regulate amateur MMA. The bill still needs to pass the house.
Currently forty-three states regulate MMA.
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Here's the deal with Ontario:
The Criminal Code of Canada specifically forbids “prize fighting,” but gives an exemption for “boxing contests” as long as they’re regulated by the local athletic commission. Obviously the wording “boxing contest” is a problem. Several other provinces and cities have basically decided not to take that phrase literally… the rationale is that MMA didn’t exist when the law was written, but as long as it’s regulated by the athletic commission, it meets the intent of the law and falls under the same exemption.
But the head of the Ontario athletic commission, Ken Hayashi, insists on taking it literally, claims MMA is not a “boxing contest” and therefore doesn’t meet the legal exemption. The truth is that he just doesn’t like MMA, and it’s a convenient excuse for him to hide behind and claim it’s out of his hands. He’s careful how he talks about it now, but I’ve read that he and others on the commission have said in the past that they won’t regulate MMA because they think it’s barbaric and such.
So the bottom line is that nothing will change until either Hayashi is replaced, or the premier decides to pressure him to change his stance. But apparently that’s not a priority for the premier right now.
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