If you haven’t heard about the controversial recent fight of Tony Lopez you can visit MiddleEasy who report that “Tony Lopez did the most reprehensible thing one could ever do in mixed martial arts. After securing a rear naked choke on his opponent, Lopez held on to the submission as the referee was trying to separate him. … More What if the Tony Lopez Situation Occurred in Canada?
Update October 5, 2013 – The City of Moncton has now pulled the Commission’s ability to oversee MMA, Muay Thai and Kickboxing. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Although the City of Moncton has an established Athletic Commission with the power to regulate and oversee both amateur and professional MMA events, the Commission’s blessing may not be enough to get … More The Dubious Legality of MMA in Moncton
If you are looking to become a licensed judge or referee for professional boxing in BC, the office of the BC Athletic Commissioner has just announced a three day Boxing Judge and Referee Training Course. The Course will take place at Dynamic MMA in Richmond BC from September 28-30. There is limited registration … More BC Athletic Commissioner Announces Boxing Judge/Referee Training Course
Section 83 of the Criminal Code delegates the regulation of MMA to the Provinces. This requirement has created a diverse regulatory patchwork for the sport across Canada. Some Canadian jurisdictions have ‘home licencing requirements‘ – that is, requirements for non-residents to be licensed in their jurisdiction of residency or other jurisdictions prior to being qualified … More “Home Licencing” Requirements and MMA Fighter Mobility Rights
I have previously highlighted legislative gaps when it comes to the legality of amateur MMA in parts of Canada. The town of Penhold, Alberta, has recently revised their Combative Sports Bylaw to sensibly address this concern. The town previously created, pursuant to Bylaw 669-11, an athletic commission which was tasked with overseeing “Regulated Combative Sports … More Town of Penhold, Alberta Legalizes Amateur MMA
The City of Yellowknife has a long history of hosting and regulating combat sport events including Mixed Martial Arts. Despite this history, can the City legally regulate MMA events given the newly amended section 83 of the Criminal Code? As previously discussed, section 83 makes professional MMA illegal by default in all of Canada unless the … More The Legality of MMA in Yellowknife and the Canadian Territories
Chalking this one up to the ‘no surprises here‘ category, the City of Weyburn has pulled the plug on their planned Athletic Commission to regulate MMA in the City, After it was announced that the City has plans to regulate MMA the Province stepped in saying such a law would exceed the City’s authority. The … More City of Weyburn Pulls the Plug on Planned Combative Sports Bylaw
In my ongoing efforts canvassing some of the legal oddities across Canada with respect to MMA regulation today I turn my attention to Quebec. Quebec has a long history of hosting combat sports events but a peek into their legal framework reveals that the sport of MMA is not actually legal but instead the sport … More The Laws of “Mixed Boxing” AKA Professional Mixed Martial Arts in Quebec
Now that BC has a framework in place for both professional and amateur MMA what happens if an unlicensed event is held? What penalties can be imposed? There are different options depending on whether the event is amateur or professional. If an illegal amateur MMA event is hosted (ie – one that does not have … More The Many Consequences for Illegal MMA in BC
Yesterday I had the pleasure of being a guest on UFC Central Radio with Showdown Joe Ferraro. For those of you visiting this site for the first time welcome! If you missed the interview you can listen to it here, my segment starts at the 17:00 mark. A quick shout out to Joe for having … More Welcome UFC Central Radio Listeners
Combat Sports Law 