Category: Uncategorized

Where’s the MMA At? Busiest US and Canadian Athletic Commissions Revealed

December 30, 2013

Ever wonder where the most MMA events take place?  Data was recently compiled addressing the volume of sanctioned amateur and professional events in the US and Canada from 2009-2012. California wins by a landslide with 154 sanctioned events in 2012 alone.  Texas comes in second with 83 and Nevada ranked fifth overall in volume in … More Where’s the MMA At? Busiest US and Canadian Athletic Commissions Revealed

ABC Medical Committee Addresses Safety of Transgender Combatant Licencing

December 30, 2013

Few topics generate more debate when it comes to MMA regulation than licencing of transgender athletes.   Ultimately this is a debate that is best addressed through science as the most valid criticisms focus on the health and safety of participants.  To this end, the Association of Boxing Commissions Medical Committee (comprised of some 40 … More ABC Medical Committee Addresses Safety of Transgender Combatant Licencing

What the PED Lawsuit Will Look Like in MMA

December 23, 2013

I’ve previously discussed some of the biggest legal threats to MMA with PED abuse and inadequate policies addressing this being one of them.  I’ll confess that when a lawyer talks about the law, especially in a hypothetical situation, it can be a little dry.  Enter Ben Miller.  Last week Ben authored an article at the … More What the PED Lawsuit Will Look Like in MMA

One From The Vault – Transcript from “Prizefighting” Guilty Plea Sentencing

December 19, 2013

Prosecutions under section 83 of the Criminal Code are few and far between and published reasons for judgement addressing such prosecutions are even more scarce.  Recently unpublished reasons for judgement were shared with me addressing proceedings on a guilty plea during a section 83 prosecution in Ontario in 2003.  I highlight these here for the … More One From The Vault – Transcript from “Prizefighting” Guilty Plea Sentencing

Study Shows Multiple Subconcussive Hits Take Their Toll on Brain Function

December 12, 2013

As previously discussed intense and frequent sparring can have more negative effects on brain function than the frequency of knockouts in competition.  A further study addressing the effects of cumulative subconcussive hits was recently published in the journal Neurology.  You can find an abstract of the study here. The author compared a group of NCAA hockey … More Study Shows Multiple Subconcussive Hits Take Their Toll on Brain Function

BC Athletic Commission Still Without TUE Policy; WADA Standards Likely Default

December 11, 2013

Since their creation earlier this year the BC Athletic Commission has been one of the busiest in the Country overseeing a host of amateur and professional combat sports events with perhaps the most high profile being the recent World Series of Fighting event this past weekend in Vancouver. With all of these events how many … More BC Athletic Commission Still Without TUE Policy; WADA Standards Likely Default

PEI Kickboxing Event Shutdown Demonstrates The Realities in the Post Bill S-209 World

November 24, 2013

I thought that Weyburn Saskatchewan would be the first to teach us what happens when an unsanctioned combat sport is hosted in a post Bill S-209 world but the matter is apparently still “under investigation”.  Moving East, Charlottetown PEI has just demonstrated the modern reality of what occurs when a combat sports event is planned … More PEI Kickboxing Event Shutdown Demonstrates The Realities in the Post Bill S-209 World

MMA Scoring Contraversies; Sometimes the Solution is Right Before Your Eyes

November 21, 2013

If you spend any time discussing the result of GSP’s title defense at UFC  167 there is no shortage of controversy among fans.  Some believe GSP fairly won three rounds, others say no way, others yet say if GSP won three rounds the two he lost far outweighed those.   From there many are quick … More MMA Scoring Contraversies; Sometimes the Solution is Right Before Your Eyes

The Three Biggest Legal Threats to Mixed Martial Arts

November 20, 2013

MMA has come a long way in the past 20 years and the biggest promotion in the sport has ambitious plans for continued global growth. Few things can derail ambitious plans faster, however, than foreseeable tragedy and the aftermath of subsequent litigation.  With this in mind there are three potential areas worth canvassing that have … More The Three Biggest Legal Threats to Mixed Martial Arts