With the 2014 Ontario Provincial Election triggered, now is the time for Ontario’s political parties to lay out their plans to address the legislative gap making many amateur combat sports illegal in the Province. To date the Government has been, to put it kindly, vague in identifying their plans to address this situation. With an … More Which Ontario Party Will Fix The Amateur Combat Sports Legal Gap?
___________________________________________ Earlier this week I had the pleasure of making my third appearance on UFC Central Radio with Showdown Joe Ferraro along with co-guests Myles Jury and Brendan Schuab, discussing some of the latest legal topics addressing combat sports. You can find the interview here. I’d like to thank Showdown … More Welcome UFC Central Radio Listeners!
One question that is yet to be judicially tested is whether grappling competitions are illegal under Section 83 of Canada’s Criminal Code. We know that amateur wrestling and judo contests are legal, unless Provinces pass laws to the contrary, as these are caught by the “Olympic Sport” exemptions in section 83(2)(a) of the Code. But what … More Are Grappling Events Caught By Section 83 of Canada’s Criminal Code?
After covering what many consider to be the dryer topics in combat sports such as new legislation, regulatory developments, contract disputes and the like, I have finally come across a legal topic a little more interesting that the norm. In short see what happens when the authorities in Thailand punish local thugs by forcing them in … More How’s This For Combat Sports Law? Punishing Crime with Muay Thai!
Following the legal shake up caused by Bill S-209 which had the practical effect of shutting down MMA and Kickboxing in Moncton, the Province of New Brunswick has now introduced legislation to create a Province wide athletic commission which will legalize and regulate these sports throughout the Province. Bill 72, the “Combat Sport Act” was … More New Brunswick Seeks To Create Province Wide MMA/Combat Sports Commission
This past weekend the Canadian Amateur Mixed Martial Arts National Championships (an event affiliated with the IMMAF) took place in Ontario and the Province, apparently aware of the well publicized event, appears content to look the other way instead of passing appropriate laws to allow such events to be hosted in compliance with the Criminal Code. … More Willful Blindness Remains Ontario Government Response to Amatuer MMA
The BC Athletic Commissioner has announced that John McCarthy’s and Jerin Valel’s COMMAND training course will be back in BC from June 7-9, 2014 which will provide – Certification for New Professional MMA Judges – Re-certification for Previously Certified COMMAND Judges – Re certification for Previously Certified COMMAND Referees – Training for Amateur MMA Referees … More COMMAND Training Course Comes Back to BC
As recently discussed, the Province of Quebec has not legalized professional MMA under the Unified Rules but instead adopted a peculiar cousin of the sport known as “Mixed Boxing“. Perhaps more interestingly, as John McCarthy confirms, Quebec’s Athletic Commission instructs its officials to ignore their own rules when the UFC comes to town. … More The Dozens of Ignored Rule Violations at TUF Nations Finale
Following the Wyoming State Board of MMA’s statement justifying a combatant fighting after losing consciousness between rounds the Association of Boxing Commissions has stepped in calling for a full investigation of this matter. The ABC’s press release has just been shared with me and I reproduce a copy below:
Update April 13, 2014 – The Wyoming State Board of MMA has responded to criticism of the below conduct with the following self serving comments: All parties, including Mr.Maranhao, believed and stated unequivocally that Mr. Maranhao was medically safe to and capable of finishing the fight…. The Wyoming State Board of Mixed Martial Arts stands … More Licencing Consequences Following Wyoming Fighter Collapse?
Combat Sports Law 