Herewith, an open letter I have mailed to Premier John Brumby and James Marlino to have the Cage Fighting ban lifted. Unfortunately, the letter was met with no response.
At the end of 2007, the Honourable James Marlino released a statement in which full contact fighting within the perimeters of a ‘cage’ was made illegal through out Victoria. I believe that this decision was made without a thorough investigation into the sport, its regulations and the rules around full contact mixed martial arts.
With that said, the sport has also come a long way in effort to professionalise and regulate its code of conduct.
In Australia there are various institutions governing MMA (Mixed Martial Arts), with fighters engaging in boxing rings, Octagons, and in some instances ‘Cages’.
As you might not know, the term ‘cage’ in Cage Fighting does not strictly refer to fighters in blocked off cages, as you would see in, say, wresting in the US, but rather a contained area, with the top of the ‘cage’ open, and a referee in the ring.
Although the area in which the fighters battle differ from one institution to the next, the rules of engagement are tightly regulated, and the ‘cage’ itself is more for spectator value, as you would agree watching wrestling cage matches.
Banning ‘cage fighting’ has a flow on effect on the industry in Victoria: fighters move to other states, thus promoters move, and the funding follows.
Banning the sport in principle not only does damage to Victoria and Melbourne’s claim of being the sporting capital, it also eliminates a revenue stream for the Government, and sporting institutions around the state.
In NSW, for instance, the sport has had a strong following, and this in turn allows the international sensation UFC to stage it’s first ever event down under in Sydney on February 21, 2010.
The tickets to the event sold out in hours, and spectators from all over Australia (and internationally) will fly to Sydney to see the fights live, or order it on pay per view. This generates hundreds of thousands of dollars of revenue for the brand, the event management, and NSW.
One of the headline fighters on the UFC card was born and bred in Victoria, and I’m sure nothing would have made George Sotiropoulos more happy than to fight out of his own state.
Let’s take this opportunity to review the ban, and in doing so, allow Vic Sports to get involved, regulate the sport, and create awareness of the sport in Victoria. We plant the seed, and in doing so MMA will have a stronger presence in Victoria, and UFC will consider the sporting capital as a prime candidate for its next tour down under.
Please take this letter as a motivation to review the ban, and possibly the restrictions around the sport in Victoria.
Peter "Hades313"
Guest
I think it's ridiculous that Victoria would ban cage fighting. Especially considering Melbourne is meant to be the sporting capital of the country. MMA is fast becoming as big as boxing & pro-wrestling (thanks to the UFC and Dana White) so Victoria should no only lift the stupid ban, but encourage & promote the sport. As far as i know, statisticly, more people are seriously injured each year playing rugby than mma, so by their logic, they should ban rugby, boxing and car racing aswell. That's just my opinion. Someone should start a petition... I should start a petition...
Alex
Guest
i think you just about covered it, but i think the actual stats were: UFC 127 sold out in approx 20 minutes. and i think roughly 60% of spectators were victorians. hope it helps to further your argument!
Djoran Keil
Guest
I just discovered that the UFC is considering coming to Melbourne in 2011. Obviously, the ban would need to be either lifted or a special exemption would need to be applied. As a native of Melbourne and an MMA fan, I would absolutely love to see an event held here. Heck, I'd love it even more if it became a regular show like the Australian Tennis Open. The problem is, how does one make this happen? Who do you send petitions to? What government department can you bypass so that you'll get heard by the people who actually make decisions and can change policy? Who needs to be intelligently informed for an intelligent review of a law?
Alex
Guest
Backward Logic, of course its unsancioned with governments like ours, so sanction it make it safer, more people die from shark attacks than MMA-Ban surfing and the iconic aussie beach life...why not? because more people die from cocunuts falling on thier heads than shark attacks and MMA put together. its without logic or sense that this is being banned and with hippocracy that all other sports arent.
Matt
Guest
Cage is actually safer, the ban is just pure stupidity and ignorance
Jamie
Guest
UFC is far safer than any other combat sport just look at the statistics! brumby is showing his ignorance by banning it!
Ghost
Guest
I think it should be called Mixed Martial Arts (or MMA) ... which is what it is. Cage or no cage is of little relevence, and should not be highlighted in the name.
ohtani's jacket
Guest
It's not my intention to tarnish MMA since I also follow it, but people ought to acknowledge that it's not an entirely clean sport. It's all very well to say fighters have died in unsanctioned circumstances, but the overwhelming majority of MMA fighting around the world is unsanctioned/non-regulated. There has also been no significant research into the long term effects of Mixed Martial Arts fighting. Does Victoria have problems with kickboxing? Or boxing for that matter? An octagon may be safer than a ring, but considering that a huge part of MMA is the ground game, I think it's more of an aesthetic concern than a safety issue. Most people associate MMA with the UFC image. If Victoria really wants to push MMA through, there's no inherent need for it to take place in an octagon. Pride fighters did not fall out of the ring with any great regularity The real issue for acceptance of MMA are the rules in regard to striking of a downed opponent.
Tinnie
Roar Rookie
The first two deaths in MMA happened in unsanctioned events. Tragically Douglas Dedge was the first man to die in an MMA event in the Ucraine. Dedge couldnt pass medical requirements to fight in the USA due to an existing heart condition, thus he went abroad. He went against advice from trainers,training partners and doctors. These type of circumstances should not tarnish a sport, MMA has only one death at a sanctioned event and the fighter was 35yo, In a twenty year history thats not too bad. The old cliche is more people die playing cricket than in MMA. Also a cage is a much safer option as opposed to the boxing ring. If we're talking about bad images for the sport in Oz, we dont need images of opponents being punched and kicked out of the ring, or KO'ed opponents disturbingly dangling off the ropes which was seen from time to time in the old Pride days. It's always going to a sport of controversy, it still is illegal in some American states, but it's slowly winning people over and strict sanctioning and regulations will move it forward. The UFC has evolved rapidly to protect the image of MMA as a safe sport. Victoria will have it's day in the sun, it's just a matter of when.
Neville Howard
Roar Rookie
Here's a rundown of the most dangerous sports in the world, considering injury and mortality rates: 10 Rugby 9 Cave Diving 8 Cheer leading (???) 7 Motorcycling 6 Fishing 5 Rock Climbing 4 Golf 3 Horse Riding 2 Base Jumping 1 Bowls 1. LAWN BOWLS: Forget those UFC pussies, lawn bowls is for REAL men (and women!). Going off the number of deaths per player, it is the world's most dangerous sport, killing literally thousands worldwide every year. Its hardcore competitors will stop at nothing in pursuit of victory. If you're one of the lucky ones that escapes death, there are thousands more who end up with dislocated ankles, broken hips, torn knees or who simply keel over with a heart attack or a stroke due to the incredibly stressful nature of the game. Either that or it's down to most of the competitors being over 85 and lugging great big balls around. Taken from : http://www.sportingo.com/all-sports/a10042_ten-most-dangerous-sports-world
ohtani's jacket
Guest
Actually, there have been at least three known MMA deaths to date, and if you want to be accurate Senator John McCain helped save the UFC by willing or unwillingly forcing it to cooperate with state athletic commissions to the point where it's considered a sport in the US these days. There's no need for an octagon in MMA. Pride FC was hugely successful in its peak years without the need for an octagon. It's just an easier sell if you try to replicate the UFC image.
Léan Fouché
Guest
I think if UFC/MMA is re-evaluated and the rules and regulations seen in action everyone will understand what has happened. Yes there is the occasional cut and a bit of blood but even then the referee keeps an eye out and should he think it is serious, a doctor is consulted. It has turned into a fully professional sport and I think its time to review the reasons for the ban and consider lifting it. It is a great sport that should not be left behind in Victoria, because that will result in Victoria being left behind when it explodes among the masses!!!
Neville Howard
Roar Rookie
Due to the negative publicity the term 'cage' gets, I have recommended as part of the ban review to look at changing the name 'Cage Fighting', and rather refer to it as 'Ultimate Fighting' in doing so people won't be too critical on it. a lot of viewers have been exposed to it through UFC events without even knowing they're watching what was traditionally called 'cage fighting'.
Neville Howard
Roar Rookie
Hi there Ghost, have you seen any of the UFC events? As a matter of fact Sydney is hosting the very first UFC event in Australia this coming Sunday. They fight in an 'octagon', and the slang term for this is 'Cage'. Thus it's not like a chicken cage or rabbit cage or any other cage which might spring to mind. It's pure Mixed Martial Arts, with rules and regulations just like any other sport. Hope this helps
Neville Howard
Roar Rookie
I agree 100% with you :-)
apaway
Guest
There is no logical reason to ban Cage-Fighting while not banning boxing. With the various forms of MMA enjoying a huge spike in popularity, a lot of the backlash seems to be an image issue. There is an emotive argument about the sight of people locked in combat, "caged like animals", which was an objection raised by US Presidential candidate John McCarthey back in the mid 90s when he almost managed to sink Ultimate Fighting Championship. UFC never refer to their area of combat as a cage, preferring to use the term Octagon. Statistically, the forms of MMA that fall under the Ultimate Fighting Championship umbrella, are a lot safer than boxing, with less serious injuries and as yet no in-ring deaths. Ghost outlined the reasons why a lot of MMA federations prefer cages to a roped ring. It should also be pointed out that MMA competitors target a variety of body parts, whereas in boxing the main focus of attack is the head. Victories by submission or tap-out are as common as knockouts and are theoretically a lot safer because once an opponent is in a submission hold and knows they cannot escape, they tap quickly and don't have lasting damage inflicted on them.
Ghost
Guest
Tom - the 'cage' or 'octagon' is just part of the brand and the image of the sport. And not all Mixed Martial Arts promotions use them - for example (from memory) the big 'Dream' MMA tournaments in Asia, the 'Pride' tourmanets (before Pride was bought out by the UFC) and also the K1 tournaments are fought in conventional style boxing rings with ropes. As a fan I prefer the cage over ropes because at times fighters can get easily tangled in the latter. This causes more stoppages in rounds as the referee has to reposition the fighters towards the centre of the ring. This does not occur with a cage. Also with a cage, a figher who is on the bottom in the 'ground game' can use the cage as a means to get back up so it introduces more technical even-ness. Those details aside I think the Victoria ban is unreasonable and unpragmatic. MMA as a sport is exploding worldwide, and is a highly skilled and professional activity. It is rapidly overtaking boxing in the minds of fans worldwide for a whole series of reasons. And it has come a long, long way form being a brutal 'no rules' affair 20 years ago to now being well regulated with established rules and protocols.
Tom
Guest
So Neville, whats the difference between cage fighting and other forms of mixed martial arts? What can be done in a cage that can't be done in a ring? Personally, this seems like a reasonable ban to me, even after reading your article. I'm ready to be convinced, though.