(Aired on March 31, 2010)
It seems mixed martial arts is not in the mainstream yet - at least not for some people. Abbotsford recently booted out an MMA trade show because someone thought it would attract gang connections to the city. Now, an Ultimate Fighting Championship event is having trouble establishing itself in Vancouver, encountering red tape and behind-the-scenes resistance. Word was UFC 115 might have had to be moved to Cincinnati - of all places - before a resolution was reached today.
Let's get one thing straight. Mixed martial arts is a fad sport that has gained a following because of its no-holds-barred violence. It's testosterone gone completely out of control. The sport crosses way over the line between athletics and pure barbarism - and for my part, I hope it fades into oblivion as quickly as it arrived on the mainstream sporting scene.
But that's just me, and my take is no reason to stop events from happening. What separates MMA from human cockfighting is the fact that these participants are willing to subject themselves to this abuse and injury. They signed on the dotted line, and people want to watch it, so let the events go ahead. I can say what I want, but the sport is not underground anymore, and the likelihood that an event would evolve into a gang battle is extremely small. And a municipality like Vancouver, that has a mandate to attract economic activity, should see a cash cow staring it in the face.
If no one showed up to MMA events and the sport failed miserably, that couldn't make me any happier. But it's not up to local governments to make that happen.
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Respectful comments are allowed here, in most respects. Either be respectful, or respect our right to remove your disrespect. I guess what I'm trying to say here is, respect is the key.