Category: Uncategorized

Alberta Municipalities Call For Province Wide Combative Sports Commission

January 7, 2014

The legality of MMA and Combat Sports varies across Alberta from Municipality to Municipality.  Interestingly, this may change as the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association is now lobbying the Provincial Government to replace the local commission model with a Province wide combative sports commission. Alberta’s 272 urban municipalities gather annually through the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association … More Alberta Municipalities Call For Province Wide Combative Sports Commission

Why Technicalities Matter – Criminal Conduct Exclusions and Insurance in MMA

January 4, 2014

I am not a professional combatant, I am not a promoter and I am not a government regulator.  Despite this I go on and on about the need of Provinces like Ontario and Quebec to pass appropriate laws to legalize amateur MMA instead of turning a blind eye, and here I go again.  Why? Because … More Why Technicalities Matter – Criminal Conduct Exclusions and Insurance in MMA

Is Ontario Selectively Prosecuting MMA Events?

January 3, 2014

I have previously highlighted why there is no proper framework for amateur MMA in Ontario and until appropriate post Bill S-209 laws are passed amateur MMA events cannot comply with section 83 of the Criminal Code. Despite this it appears that some amateur Combat Sports events are taking place without government repercussions.  Pecker’d Promotions discusses … More Is Ontario Selectively Prosecuting MMA Events?

Canadian MMA Law Recognized As “Best New Law Blog” in 2013

January 1, 2014

I am honoured to receive the 2013 Canadian Law Blog Award naming this site as one of the Best New Law Blogs of the year.  Thank you to everyone who nominated this site,  to Steve Matthews, Simon Fodden and Jordan Furlong for the award, and to everyone who has visited in 2013. So how do you celebrate an award as … More Canadian MMA Law Recognized As “Best New Law Blog” in 2013

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