Murray Grieg of the Edmonton Sun reports on how an Edmonton promotion looking to fight under Pride rules threatens much of what MMA has worked to build in Edmonton and the whole of Canada.
Partially due to concerns raised in this column last week, the ECSC on Wednesday was served notice by the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) that Edmonton risks being branded an outlaw city for boxing and mixed martial arts events because of an arbitrary decision to approve Japanese “Dream” rules for an upcoming MMA promotion.
The Missouri-based ABC monitors member commissions in the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The ECSC has been an associate member for the past 12 years.
Dated Jan. 20, the official notification from ABC president Tim Lueckenhoff sent to both ECSC executive director Pat Reid and the Edmonton Sun states: “This correspondence shall place the Edmonton Combative Sports Commission on notice that the Association of Boxing Commissions is not in support of these drastic changes to the Unified Rules of mixed martial arts as adopted by the ABC.”
Last month, without a vote or approval by the ECSC, Reid arbitrarily approved the Dream rules for the upcoming CCF-5 card promoted by Pasqualino Santoro, president and owner of Colloseo Championship Fighting.
Among other deviations from the Unified Rules of MMA, Dream rules allow knee strikes to the head of a downed/grounded fighter and kicks to the head of a downed/grounded fighter when both combatants are down.
Shoes can be worn in the ring and fights consist of a 10-minute opening round followed by a five-minute second round. In an interview with the Edmonton Sun on Thursday, Lueckenhoff said the ECSC’s obtuse stance has already drawn the wrath of other ABC members.
“There’s been discussion that if Edmonton goes through with this, there will have to be a discussion about their associate member status … and I’m sure there will be some adamant demands for it to be revoked,” he said.
“It’s embarrassing for Edmonton to be branded a rogue commission, absolutely.
Payout Perspective
This is just a stunt; a cash grab on behalf of this Edmonton promoter, Colloseo Championship Fighting, to try and draw a bigger portion of the MMA pie in a very competitive Edmonton market. It’s the type of gimmick show that MMA can and should do without; especially when there remain provinces in Canada that have yet to jump aboard the regulation train.
Moreover, the sudden rule change could very well lead to someone getting hurt. MMA is very much a game of instinctive reaction that relies on hours of training and practice. So, unless a fighter has Japanese fighting experience, he’s not training to knee/kick strikes to head while he’s on the ground. It only takes one pointed and undefended blow to hurt someone.
Here’s to hoping that the commission in Edmonton comes to its better senses and reverses its decision to allow the rule change.
Edit: It’s important to note that I once worked for the Maximum Fighting Championship in Edmonton, Alberta. However, I no longer have any connection with the promotion or its management. This is just an independent assessment of the situation.
Interesting scenario allowing Pride rules. Just when you think they were starting to tighten the noose on the regulation front to make the sport more acceptable to the mainstream.
While I agree that the majority of these rule changes are excessive or even dangerous, one rule I really would like to see adopted by the Unified Rules would be kicks to an opponent if both fighters are on the ground.
It’s easy to see why they don’t allow stomps and soccer kicks to a grounded opponent while one fighter is standing, but how is 2 grounded opponents kicking any different from 2 standing opponents kicking? (Except for the 5 or 6 feet a KO’d fighter will have to fall before they hit their head on the mat.)
The illegal head kick KO of Anderson Silva against Yushin Okami was one of the coolest improvised strike I’ve ever seen used in the guard. Allowing these types of strikes aren’t any more dangerous than standing kicks and could add alot of excitement and a very effective technique for offensive striking from the guard, something that’s pretty much impossible otherwise. When the fighter dishing out the ground and pound can leap a few feet in the air and bring a punch down his opponents chin, why can’t a fighter on his back use a kick to defend himself?
Don’t get me wrong, I care a great deal about fighter safety, but would this type of rule change be fundamentally different from what we’ve already got?
At some point we have to stop making rules for the critics of the sport and adopt certain changes to the rules that aren’t hypocritical, yet still safe and give some better finishing opportunities to someone fighting off their back. Please don’t tell me we’re stuck with the unified rules for all eternity.
The bigger problem here is using different rules than what the rest of the world is using. I like the knee tot he head of a downed fighter because it forces wrestlers to set up their takedowns and keeps them honest. THere is however no need for stomps or head kicks on the ground. That is one most that really can get someone killed. Even in pride the few times someone got soccer kicked was when they were already KOed or very close. A fighter still with his wits seldom ever got stomped. Its just a quick way to finish someone off and gives the ref very little time to react.
Rules changes would be fine if all commissions were on the same page. But to go out on a limb against other commissions shows irresponsibility and a hidden agenda.
actually the only real differance
1. time in the first round from 5 min to 10
2.fighters are allowed to wear ,footwear eg. wrestling boots or gi but cannot use them for choking the opponent
3.the fighters are deducted money when one fighter becomes inactive that fighter is penialized
4.a standing fighter can knee a grounded opponent to the head
5 there are no face stomping soccer kicks at all
6 there are no elbows at all
7 when both grounded,the fighters are able to kick to the opponents head
8.the basic unified rules are followed with exemptions to thes changes
oh and buy the way they are not pride rules