The BC Athletic Commissioner has released their post bout drug test results following UFC 174. The Commission advises as follows: VICTORIA – British Columbia athletic commissioner Dave Maedel has issued the following statement about drug testing results received following the UFC 174 match on June 14, 2014, at Rogers Arena in Vancouver: “The focus of … More UFC 174 Drug Test Results
Update October 15, 2014 – Sonnen confirmed the lengths he went to cover up his PED taking during the first episode of his podcast “You’re welcome with Chael Sonnen“. Sonnen admitted to knowingly, intentionally taking banned PEDs and trying to outwit commission testing confessing as follows: I thought it was out of my system. I … More Chael Sonnen and the F Word
Although the mandatory use of gloves in Mixed Martial Arts was one step which helped bring the sport from its ‘human-cockfighting‘ stigma into greater mainstream acceptance, this requirement likely increased the incidence of brain trauma for the sport’s participants. Gloves protect fighters’ fists from injuries and reduce superficial cuts to opponents but do little to protect an … More Knockouts By Punch Increased Tenfold After Gloves Introduced to MMA
The Prestige Fight Club found themselves entangled in Canada’s criminal justice system after hosting an unsanctioned MMA event last year in Saskatchewan. Following the event Criminal Charges were laid against two individuals involved for hosting an illegal prizefight contrary to section 83 of Canada’s Criminal Code. In response the individuals charged sued the Government of Saskatchewan … More Illegal MMA Event Ends in Conditional Discharge, Lawsuit Against Government Dropped
Update June 24, 2014 – the vote for the below bill has been postponed until July 14: __________________________________________________ Last month I discussed Vernon, BC’s, plans to ban Mixed Martial Arts from their City. The proposed law has now been drafted and is up for discussion and voting on June 23, … More Vernon, BC Law Proposing Ban on Professional and Amateur MMA Ready for Vote
In my ongoing efforts to highlight legal action taken against those accused of unlawfully accessing MMA Pay Per View products, reasons for judgement were released last week by the United States District Court, N.D. New York, assessing damages for the unlawful display of a UFC PPV Event by a commercial establishment. In last week’s case (Joe … More UFC Piracy Lawsuit Seeks Significant Damages; Falls Short of the Mark
The BC Athletic Commission was provided with regulatory powers to oversee amateur kickboxing events via Order in Council 2013-342. The Office now has a set of interim rules for this sport which have been provided to me. These can be accessed here: BCAC Interim Amateur Kickboxing Rules I understand these will be modified … More BC Athletic Commission Releases Interim Amateur Kickboxing Rules
Reasons for judgement were released this week by the US District Court, S.D. California, discussing if Zuffa was a necessary party to copyright litigation brought by their commercial distributor. In short the answer was no. In this week’s case (Joe Hand Promotions v. Bragg) the Defendants operated Henry’s Doghouse Bar and Grill in San Diego. … More Zuffa is not an “Indispensable Party” To UFC Copyright Lawsuit
__________________________________ Following his recent controversial split decision loss to Diego Sanchez at UFC Fight Night, Ross Pearson is appealing the result to New Mexico’s Athletic Commission. Despite popular opinion that the decision was simply wrong, the reality is that the NMAC is unlikely to overturn the result even if … More New Mexico Athletic Commission’s Test for Overturning the Pearson/Sanchez Decision
I had the privilege of attending John McCarthy’s and Jerin Valel’s COMMAND MMA Judge training course this weekend in Richmond, BC. The experience is invaluable in providing insight into the complexity of judging an MMA bout with integrity. Whether you aspire to become an MMA judge or are … More A Simple Change to MMA’s Unified Rules Can Go a Long Way
Combat Sports Law 