CMA Proposes Ban on MMA Prizefighting

The Canadian Press is reporting that the Canadian Medical Association is calling for a ban on mixed martial arts prizefighting in Canada.

Delegates at the CMA’s annual meeting voted Wednesday to have the doctors group seek a government ban on the sport.

 

The vote came after often contentious debate among 250 doctors at the meeting in Niagara Falls, Ont.

 

Those in favour of trying to deliver a knock-out punch to MMA say the sport puts fighters at risk of severe head trauma and other injuries that could have lifelong effects.

 

They argue that unlike sports like hockey and skiing, the intent of mixed martial arts is to incapacitate one’s opponent.

Payout Perspective:

The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) is the national body which represents doctors across all of Canada’s provinces and territories, including the British Columbia Medical Association. The CMA has also been calling for a ban on boxing since 2001.

This news isn’t something to worry about immediately. The CMA, alone, does not have the clout to tear down MMA, but it’s certainly something that opponents of the sport will point to when evaluating the sport in the future (whilst, I can only assume, leaving out relevant empirical studies like those done at Johns Hopkins).

Perhaps, the most disappointing part of this news is that the CMA’s justification for banning the sport of MMA is likely to mirror that of the BCMA – a group of supremely educated individuals and many of whom that have admitted to not having seen a live event or thoroughly examined the health of MMA fighters in any meaningful, scientific manner.