Cage fighting considered Barbaric
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SCOTLAND’S first major cage fighting bout could be cancelled amid growing concern over the safety of the sport.
Licensing chiefs in Renfrewshire are considering whether to scrap the event after an MSP condemned the spectacle as “barbaric” and inappropriate for an area with an unenviable reputation for serious violence.
Cage fighting, a no-holds-barred hybrid of boxing, wrestling and martial arts, is one of the world’s fastest growing sports and has millions of followers.
More than 4,000 fans - paying £45 a head - are expected to pack Braehead Arena on August 4 to watch at least eight contestants with nicknames such as “One Punch” and “King Kong” battle with fists, feet and elbows inside an iron pen.
But Nationalist MSP Sandra White has urged people to stay away and Renfrewshire council is considering whether the arena’s public entertainment licence is appropriate for such an event.
Also known as Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), cage fighting has a host of celebrity fans including supermodel Cindy Crawford and Manchester United and Scotland footballer Darren Fletcher. Last year more than 300 million viewers in 130 countries watched televised bouts. In the US alone it supports an industry with an annual turnover of $5bn, with top fighters earning $1m a fight.
Bouts take place in three five-minute rounds inside an octagonal metal cage. Unlike boxing, cage fighters are allowed to use kicks, knees and flying elbows, although they must wear gloves.
Organisers insist the sport is no more dangerous than horse racing or rugby. But a recent Ultimate Fighting Championship event in Manchester saw:
• Croatian contender Mirko Cro Cop knocked unconscious by a flying kick to the head;
• His opponent Brazilian Gabriel Gonzaga land further blows on his opponent as he lay out cold on the canvas;
• British fighter Mike Bisping emerging from his bout with blood streaming from his face.
White, a Glasgow list MSP, said: “Cage fighting is one American import that we can really do without. This sounds less like a sport and more like a return to the barbaric days of old when gladiators did battle in front of crowds baying for blood.
“The Greater Glasgow area, and Scotland as a whole, has real problems with violence. This type of event serves to glamorise and glorify violence, particularly among impressionable young people.
“Not only that, but the people taking part are also putting themselves at risk of serious injury.
“Hopefully, when parents find out more about it they will boycott it.”
The area has chronic problems with serious violent crime, with around 65 murders in the city itself a year, and well over 100 in the Strathclyde police area.
Renfrewshire council spokesman Dave McLavin confirmed that the authority was reviewing the suitability of the event.
He said: “The council has concerns about this event and is looking into the exact nature of what is involved. Any such event should only go forward if it is in the context of the proper regulatory framework.”
McLavin said the Braehead Arena holds a public entertainment licence for sporting events and “miscellaneous entertainment”, as well as concerts, exhibitions and conferences.
However, promoter Johnny Burrows insisted that the event would be safe, responsibly organised and family friendly.
“Cage fighting is an exciting night out and is no more dangerous than any other contact sport,” he said. “You only have to look at the injuries that people sustain in equestrianism, rugby and football. Every sport has an element of danger, but we do not have the same number of concussive blows to the head that are associated with other combat sports.”
Burrows said highly trained referees were instructed to halt bouts to prevent serious injury taking place and that medical staff were ringside at every event.
“The most serious injury we have had at one of our events has been a knockout or a cut that requires a few stitches,” he said. “Most fights are won by submissions.
“Although our fighters are highly trained athletes, they are mostly amateurs and have to go to their work on a Monday morning. It is not their main source of income so they have to be sensible about how they fight.”
The Ulster-based promoter claimed most of the sport’s critics had never seen a bout.
“I would issue an open invitation to anyone with doubts about the show to come along and see it for themselves,” he said.
He confirmed that accompanied children would be admitted to the Glasgow event.
“I’m not a parent and it is not for me to say whether parents should bring their children along, but we have some young fans of 12 and 13 and they really enjoy the events,” he added.
Fighters from the US, Brazil, Holland and France are due to join Scottish and other UK contenders. In Montreal, a recent MMA stadium event broke all box office records, outselling the Rolling Stones and Beyonce.
In April an Ultimate Fighting Championship event at the Manchester MEN Arena attracted 16,000 fans and a US television audience of more than 10 million.
Actor Jean-Claude Van Damme, boxer Amir Khan and Man Utd star Ronaldo were among the celebrities who attended.
Choke holds, takedowns and the ‘ground and pound’
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is a combat sport in which competitors use various forms of fighting techniques from judo, karate, boxing, kickboxing, jiu-jitsu and wrestling.
It is a far cry from the bare-knuckle boxing contests, which were portrayed in the Brad Pitt films Snatch and Fight Club.
Competitors must wear standardised gloves, designed to protect the hand, but not improve the striking surface or force of a punch, and gum shields. Tops are not allowed.
Scoring involves points for striking blows with the hands, feet, knees or elbows, and grappling, including submissions, choke holds, throws or takedowns.
Bouts feature three five-minute rounds, with championship bouts having an additional two rounds.
Forbidden moves include head butting, eye gouging, groin attacks, blows to the spine or back of the head, throat strikes, kicking or stomping a grounded opponent, spitting, throwing an opponent out of the ring, or attacking an opponent after the bell has sounded. Abusive language is also outlawed along with hair pulling and biting.
Valid moves include smashing your opponent’s head into the canvas using a technique called “ground and pound” and launching flying kicks or elbow smashes to the head.
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