FanNation - The Republic of Sport

Assemblyman Bob Reilly complained that since c0ckfighting and dog fighting are both banned in the state, MMA should remain so as well. Really? MMA and those activities are the same to you? People fighting in sanctioned events with referees is the same as two animals fighting to the death.  I must have missed that somewhere.  Maybe, just maybe, you would have a small case when it was billed as "No-Holds Barred" fighting. But not now. Now there are safer rules for combatants. Safer than boxing. Yes, boxing.

In boxing, the fighters were large 16oz gloves, whereas in MMA, the fighters wear minimally padded 4oz gloves. On the surface, this would make the sport of Mixed Martial Arts seem significantly more dangerous, but in reality, it is actually safer. The 16oz padded gloves used in boxing are actually employed to protect the boxers' hands, not their opponents' face and body. This allows the boxer to throw more punches to the head and body of his opponent. This can cause quite the amount of damage to the brain/head over 12 rounds.  MMA uses 4oz gloves, which cause less damage to the brain over a shorter amount of time.  Mixed Martial Arts matches are 3 five minute rounds for a regular fight, and 5 five minute rounds for title fights.  In addition to the 4oz padding used in MMA gloves, the greater volume of techniques that can be used in mixed martial arts actually make the sport safer as well. I don't have to punch an opponent to win. I can apply various submission moves to end the match without taking or giving any punches.  The beatdowns in boxing are exponentially worse than that of MMA.

Still not buying it? Here's a stat for you: As of November 2007, there have been over 1400 deaths due to injuries suffered in the ring. The boxing ring that is. You know what the total for an MMA sanctioned event is? 1. And that's including the "No-Holds Barred" rules. Yes, I know boxing has been around longer than MMA, and now ring medicine and ring doctors have advanced their craft. So I'll give boxing a slight break. Let's take the deaths of the last 28 years. Boxing - 213. MMA - 1. Kind of a one sided affair. About 80% of the deaths listed were due to head, brain, or neck injuries, such as Acute Subdural Hematoma. Don't want to go into the science of it all, but Subdural Hematomas are usually the result of a serious head injury. In boxing's case, getting punched repeatedly with a 1lb glove over 12 rounds.

Ironically, one such death in the sport of boxing, the 1995 death of Jimmy Garcia, was witnessed by Senator John McCain, as he sat ringside. Strangely, Senator McCain remains a fan of boxing, a sport with a marred safety record, and over 1,400 recorded deaths in a little over 100 years. Yet he was the one spear-heading the movement to ban MMA, which had not had a serious injury in the recorded history of the sport at the time of his campaign.

McCain has since changed his stance on Mixed Martial Arts. "The sport has grown up. The rules have been adopted to give its athletes better protections and to ensure fairer competition." Memo to New York: You mean to tell me that the guy who first got MMA banned in several states has acknowledged the sport, and you are still holding on? Explain that to me. Better yet, explain that in your state alone there have been over 90 deaths due to boxing and yet you still won't sanction an MMA event.

Political persons who voice that MMA is too dangerous or that it's "human-c0ckfighting" are hypocrites, and refuse to see what's right in front of their eyes. There are more significant injuries in football, auto racing, and boxing every year than there has ever been in MMA.  They'll sanction boxing events, put the Super Bowl in primetime television, and promote NASCAR like it's going out of style, but turn the other way if it's Mixed Martial Arts. The proof is in the pudding. 1400+ deaths to 1. And that's just boxing.  Doesn't get any clearer than that.

Mixed Martial Arts is a sport, just like any other.  Yes, it's a combat sport.  But it's the safest combat sport.  These guys (girls) are athletes and should be recognized as such.  What say you now Mr. Reilly?