Issue 028

August 2007

By Grant Waterman.

If you are a mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter or are thinking about becoming one, this article may make you think long and hard about stepping into the Octagon for a while. Well at least, I want it to.

People look at different things in different ways. This is a simple fact. I like MMA and other people don’t. I haven’t got a problem with that. One thing that does seem a bit odd though is when some people’s view of things just seems to ignore basic common sense. At present there is no legitimate recognised governing body to regulate MMA in the UK, and as far as I can see, apart from the British Boxing Board of Control, there is no legitimate governing body regulating any other combat sport either. Anyone who wants to dispute that comment better show me what blood tests, brain scans and other medical checks these so called governing bodies insist their fighters undergo prior to a competition. Many people believe that a governing body’s main job is to set up titles and belts and make sure the right guy is champ, but a governing body’s responsibilities go much further than that.

I don’t want to open up a big can of worms regarding safety, but it seems to me that many people are ignoring some simple but essential measures to ensure that contestants are adequately protected from each other, oh, and themselves. 

Let me ask you a question. Would you get in the Octagon and be willing to fight another competitor who has been infected with Hepatitis B or is HIV positive? Only a fool would answer yes to this, or maybe someone who is already infected with either of the above (I don’t think you can catch HIV twice).  

Here is another question. Would you get in the Octagon and be willing to fight another competitor who may have been infected with Hepatitis B or may be HIV positive? I expect a few of you will answer ‘depends on the money’ to this one, but generally most of you would be put off. 

So why is it that all the MMA fights in the UK are going ahead without one single check for diseases or viruses carried by the blood? Money you say? It costs £131 to have a complete set of blood tests carried out to the same standard the British Boxing Board of Control insist upon. Don’t give me the baloney that it’s a issue of money. I will agree that when you combine all the medical checks that are insisted upon by a body such as the British Boxing Board of Control or the Nevada State Athletic Commission then you are looking at a fair amount, maybe around £1000 for all the required safety checks, but is that such a huge amount when peoples lives are at risk?

It will not be long until all these tests are mandatory before anyone even steps into the Octagon to compete as a professional MMA fighter, and I am trying to implement them as we speak. There are some people saying that fighters just won’t be able to fight because they don’t have the money to have the tests carried out. Well, who is going to want to fight someone who refuses to have their blood checked? Not me. 

It may sound like I’m saying MMA is riddled with AIDS victims and Hepatitis carriers, when actually I’m certain that the majority of competitors conduct their lives in such ways that probably avoid the risks of contracting such diseases and viruses to a high degree. But, you just can’t tell. 

This situation is not just limited to the UK either. MMA is growing rapidly in various countries around the world in places like China and Thailand, but even in America there are holes in the net. Tommy Morrison, the former boxer who once tested positive for HIV, recently fought in a modified rules MMA match in Arizona. Unsanctioned events can take place on Indian reservations. Tommy was diagnosed as HIV positive over 10 years ago but now claims that the original test results were false and that he has never had the virus. I am sure he is a man of great integrity and would not lie about such an issue but it has caused a bit of a stir.  

I have read some downright ridiculous comments like ‘shows are well-run and common sense governs them’. What on earth is that supposed to mean? Is common sense going to prevent people from transmitting life-threatening blood disorders? Common sense obviously isn’t that common.

Look at this article in the positive way it is intended. It took boxing years before any proper medical checks and supervision were instigated, and of all the other combat sports in the UK it is only MMA that is making real efforts to put measures in place, not only to protect the fighters, but to protect the sport as well. MMA is the ultimate form of entertainment for anyone into the fighting arts. Let’s keep it that way.