Quebec Prompts Officials To Ignore Their Laws When the UFC Comes to Town

April 11, 2014

            ___________________________________________________________ The TUF Nations Finale on April 16, 2014 will legally be governed by Quebec’s Regulation Regarding Combat Sports .  These regulations don’t actually approve MMA under the unified rules, instead the Province has legalized a unique sport known as “mixed boxing”.   As previously highlighted, these call for some significant variations from the … More Quebec Prompts Officials To Ignore Their Laws When the UFC Comes to Town

Quebec Athletic Commission Gives Perplexing Answer Regarding TRT TUE’s

April 10, 2014

With the UFC coming to Quebec City for the TUF Nations Finale on April 16, 2014, I contacted the Quebec Athletic Commission (The Regie des alcools, des courses at des jeux) to determine if they have followed Nevada’s lead by banning TRT TUE’s or if these are still available in Quebec. Section 71.1 of Quebec’s … More Quebec Athletic Commission Gives Perplexing Answer Regarding TRT TUE’s

Senator Runciman: View that Pro Kickboxing Can’t Be Legal “Defies Logic”.

April 9, 2014

Last year I highlighted BC’s position that professional kickboxing and muay thai events are not allowed under the updated Section 83 of the Criminal Code.  The Senator that drafted the law responded disagreeing with the Province’s narrow interpretation of the law. Senator Runciman has since taken a stronger stance stating that BC’s interpretation of the law he … More Senator Runciman: View that Pro Kickboxing Can’t Be Legal “Defies Logic”.

Insight Into Ronda Rousey’s Fight and Endorsement Pay

April 8, 2014

One issue that separates MMA from other mainstream sports is the accessibility of athlete pay information.  The public has ready access to salaries paid to athletes in the NHL, NBA, NFL, MLB.  Even individual sports such as golf and tennis have publicly announced purses.  In the world of MMA fighter pay is far less clear. … More Insight Into Ronda Rousey’s Fight and Endorsement Pay

An Appearance of Bias by the Edmonton Combative Sports Commission?

April 8, 2014

Last week, while browsing  TopMMANews, I read that the Edmonton Combative Sports Commission announced an “MMA Fighter of the Year” for 2013. I noticed this was written in the April Fool’s day edition of the Rumour Mill so I chalked it up to a gag.   Curiosity got the best of me, however, and I … More An Appearance of Bias by the Edmonton Combative Sports Commission?

Combat Sports Walk Out Music and Copyright Lawsuits

April 7, 2014

  What happens when a fighter walks out to music in a live combat sports event without proper  licencing arrangements in place?  Reasons for judgement were released in late 2013 addressing this issue (with the Supreme Court of the United States denying certiorari on March 31, 2014).  In short the artist can seek statutory damages or elect … More Combat Sports Walk Out Music and Copyright Lawsuits

What the Ronda Rousey Arbitration Can Teach MMA Managers and Team Takedown

April 5, 2014

UPDATE April 7, 2014 – The Full CSAC Arbitration Decision is now available and can be found here: CSAC Ronda Rousey Aribtration Decision ______________________________________________________________ The California State Athletic Commission’s arbitration powers made headlines this week with Andy Foster releasing UFC champion Ronda Rousey from provisions of her contract with Fight Tribe Management that relate to “professional … More What the Ronda Rousey Arbitration Can Teach MMA Managers and Team Takedown

Maryland Athletic Commission Takes Advantage of Zuffa PED Test Funding Offer

April 4, 2014

In a positive step towards cleaning up doping in MMA, the Maryland Athletic Commission appears to have taken advantage of Zuffa’s offer to pay for enhanced PED testing.  BloodyElbow reports that “UFC light heavyweight Jon Jones recently revealed that he is currently undergoing random blood and urine tests under the watch of the Maryland State Athletic Commission … More Maryland Athletic Commission Takes Advantage of Zuffa PED Test Funding Offer

How (and why) Athletic Commissions Can Clean Up PED Abuse in MMA

March 28, 2014

_________________________ At this week’s Canadian Bar Association combat sports legal conference  I asked the UFC’s lawyer, Michael Mersch, whether Zuffa has any plans to conduct regular, random, out of competition PED testing for their contracted fighters.  In short his answer was no however the details of his reply give good insight that, should a lawsuit … More How (and why) Athletic Commissions Can Clean Up PED Abuse in MMA

“Rates of KOs and TKOs in MMA are higher than previously reported “

March 27, 2014

Findings were published in this month’s American Journal of Sports Medicine studying “incidence, risk factors, and characteristics of knockouts (KOs) and technical knockouts (TKOs) from repetitive strikes in professional MMA“.  The study focused specifically on UFC’s pay per view cards. The study concludes that “Rates of KOs and TKOs in MMA are higher than previously … More “Rates of KOs and TKOs in MMA are higher than previously reported “