Sanctioning Woes Stifle MMA In Ontario

April 19, 2008 could very well go down in the history books as the day that Canada put the MMA world on notice. Even before the raucous crowd whipped the Bell Centre into a frenzy, Montreal made UFC 83 – Canada’s first UFC event – the fastest sell-out in UFC history. Additionally, Canadian fans also set UFC records for attendance at a live event (21,390), a Canadian live-gate record for combat sports with $5.1 million USD in tickets sold, all the while putting up over 100,000 PPV buys in Canada alone. All of these things combined to make UFC 83 the third best-selling UFC PPV of all-time. Not bad for America’s little brother, eh?

Although the sport is becoming increasingly popular in hotbeds like Quebec, Alberta, and Nova Scotia, a current sanctioning problem in Ontario – Canada’s only province not to sanction MMA – is preventing the country’s MMA scene from exploding the way it should. The newly formed Canadian Mixed Martial Arts Association (CMMAA – http://www.canadianmma.com/) is working diligently on a “Legalize it! Ontario” campaign quite similar to that of the UFC-led campaign currently running in the state of New York.

In terms of economic spinoffs, it stands to reason that the province of Ontario would benefit greatly from sanctioning professional MMA. If you’re wondering exactly how much money is being left on the table, consider this: the Nevada State Athletic Commission estimates that Columbus, Ohio received an economic windfall of approximately $11 million after hosting UFC 68 in March of 2007. Perhaps even more relevant to Ontario is NSAC Executive Director Kevin Kizer’s estimate which placed UFC 83’s economic spinoff for Montreal at upwards of $50 million.

Yet, in a recent interview with MMAweekly, the Ontario Athletic Commissions’ Ken Hayashi regarded the potential economic spinoffs for the province as “not even a blip on the radar screen.” Rather, for the OAC, the issue apparently comes down to liability, “…what no one talks about is the potential cost to the government if one of these athletes were to suffer a severe injury and would have to be cared for by our provincially paid for health care system” says Hayashi. Therefore, the OAC is demanding that MMA establish a clean and safe track record at the amateur level before even considering sanctioning at the professional level.

As a result of this stance, the CMMAA is currently undergoing an application process to register itself as the governing organization of amateur mixed martial arts in Ontario. Others, however, are less inclined to wait on the OAC to decide that MMA is safe enough to sanction at professional levels. Instead, in a fashion similar to how Quebec won its MMA sanctioning years ago, a series of MMA events known as “Rumble on the Rez” are being held on Aboriginal land reserves across Ontario in an attempt to pressure the government to regulate the combat sport as opposed to letting it run wild.

The OAC has filed complaints to local police authorities suggesting that the unsanctioned bouts are illegal under Section 83 of Canada’s Criminal Code – a section that basically states anything that is not boxing is prize fighting, and prize fighting is illegal. However, lawyers working on behalf of “Rumble on the Rez” promoters plan to contest the definition of boxing as it pertains to Section 83, as well as the legal standing of the Six Nations Athletic Commission and its ability to supersede the Ontario Athletic Commission when it comes to sanctioning events on Aboriginal reserves.

Ultimately, the hope for MMA in Ontario is that an amendment will be made to Section 83 of the Criminal Code, which is currently on the agenda for lawmakers sometime this year. However, if that fails CMMAA will continue to process their application for amateur recognition and others will continue to use other tactics to pressure the OAC into sanctioning the sport.

In any event, it appears as though Ontarians will be forced to look elsewhere for their immediate MMA fix. If you believe mmafact.com, then perhaps New York will beat Ontario to the sanctioning punch and Buffalo could be the next best option for Ontarians looking to see live action.