redneck
12-10-2009, 01:07 PM
Cage rage coming here
http://images.smh.com.au/ftsmh/ffximage/2009/10/10/cage_wideweb__470x208,0.jpg
'It's madness. If this was the animal world, the RSPCA would come down on you like a ton of bricks.'
Caroline Marcus, Tom Reilly and Cameron Houston
October 11, 2009
THE sport described by critics as "human cockfighting" is coming to a stadium near you, despite warnings that US-style cage fighting will fuel more violence on the city's streets.
The combat sport, known as mixed martial arts, will be launched in Sydney early next year by the US promoter Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Legal representatives of the company have approached the Combat Sports Authority to seek permission to stage a bout in February, with organisers understood to be looking at the Acer Arena in Sydney Olympic Park.
Despite the sport being banned in 10 US states, UFC president of the British division Marshall Zelaznik confirmed that cage fighting was coming to Australia. "It's going to happen, we're coming," he said. "Planning is in effect, we've had a number of strategy meetings and we are on the verge of retaining some key partners in Australia."
UFC fighters use a brutal combination of martial arts, boxing, kick boxing and wrestling inside a cage called the octagon.
Competitors are permitted to pin an opponent to the floor and punch or elbow them into unconsciousness in a move known as "pound and ground". UFC rules explicitly ban fighters avoiding contact, faking injury or throwing in the towel, while the absence of a blood rule often leaves the octagon looking more like an abattoir.
New laws to be introduced in NSW from January 1 next year will mean anyone who wishes to promote a professional combat sport contest must apply for a permit from the Combat Sports Authority and all fighters and officials must be registered with the group.
Harsh penalties would be dealt to anyone considered to be exploiting combatants with unsafe environments and practices, NSW Sports Minister Kevin Greene said.
"These sports are not to everyone's taste and I'm certainly not a fan of cage fighting," Mr Greene said.
The first cage fighting bouts were staged in Australia in 2007, with a championship staged at Sydney's Luna Park in May last year attracting football players, and television and music stars.
Health experts have condemned UFC plans to introduce the contentious sport into Australia. "It's madness. If this was the animal world, the RSPCA would come down on you like a ton of bricks," said leading neurologist Professor Mark Cook of St Vincent's Hospital in Melbourne.
"As in boxing, the nature of sport means that brain injury is inevitable and this cage fighting may be worse, with people allowed to hit somebody while on the ground."
A prominent criminologist questioned whether UFC should be staged in Australia .
"This is the last thing we need to be importing," said Professor Rob White from the University of Tasmania. "UFC may have an even bigger impact than other forms of violence because it is a blood sport where we make heroes out of people who bash each other."
But Mr Zelaznik dismissed the sport's violent reputation: "There are strict safety measures to protect the fighters. There's no denying it's a combat sport and it may not be for everybody but there's some sports that I'm not totally keen on, like lawn bowling."
Mixed Martial Arts has become the fastest growing sport in the US, according to market research firm Ipsos Reid. Some fans pay up to $10,000 for front-row seats but it is the sale of television rights that is primarily responsible for the global expansion of the UFC empire, which was valued at $1.1 billion by the magazine Forbes last year.
Mr Zelaznik said UFC would target a young male audience in Australia. Television rights were being negotiated with Foxtel, Ten's new high-definition sports channel and a prominent pay-per-view network.
Source: The Sun-Herald
http://www.smh.com.au/news/sport/cage-rage-coming-here/2009/10/10/1255019652968.html
http://images.smh.com.au/ftsmh/ffximage/2009/10/10/cage_wideweb__470x208,0.jpg
'It's madness. If this was the animal world, the RSPCA would come down on you like a ton of bricks.'
Caroline Marcus, Tom Reilly and Cameron Houston
October 11, 2009
THE sport described by critics as "human cockfighting" is coming to a stadium near you, despite warnings that US-style cage fighting will fuel more violence on the city's streets.
The combat sport, known as mixed martial arts, will be launched in Sydney early next year by the US promoter Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Legal representatives of the company have approached the Combat Sports Authority to seek permission to stage a bout in February, with organisers understood to be looking at the Acer Arena in Sydney Olympic Park.
Despite the sport being banned in 10 US states, UFC president of the British division Marshall Zelaznik confirmed that cage fighting was coming to Australia. "It's going to happen, we're coming," he said. "Planning is in effect, we've had a number of strategy meetings and we are on the verge of retaining some key partners in Australia."
UFC fighters use a brutal combination of martial arts, boxing, kick boxing and wrestling inside a cage called the octagon.
Competitors are permitted to pin an opponent to the floor and punch or elbow them into unconsciousness in a move known as "pound and ground". UFC rules explicitly ban fighters avoiding contact, faking injury or throwing in the towel, while the absence of a blood rule often leaves the octagon looking more like an abattoir.
New laws to be introduced in NSW from January 1 next year will mean anyone who wishes to promote a professional combat sport contest must apply for a permit from the Combat Sports Authority and all fighters and officials must be registered with the group.
Harsh penalties would be dealt to anyone considered to be exploiting combatants with unsafe environments and practices, NSW Sports Minister Kevin Greene said.
"These sports are not to everyone's taste and I'm certainly not a fan of cage fighting," Mr Greene said.
The first cage fighting bouts were staged in Australia in 2007, with a championship staged at Sydney's Luna Park in May last year attracting football players, and television and music stars.
Health experts have condemned UFC plans to introduce the contentious sport into Australia. "It's madness. If this was the animal world, the RSPCA would come down on you like a ton of bricks," said leading neurologist Professor Mark Cook of St Vincent's Hospital in Melbourne.
"As in boxing, the nature of sport means that brain injury is inevitable and this cage fighting may be worse, with people allowed to hit somebody while on the ground."
A prominent criminologist questioned whether UFC should be staged in Australia .
"This is the last thing we need to be importing," said Professor Rob White from the University of Tasmania. "UFC may have an even bigger impact than other forms of violence because it is a blood sport where we make heroes out of people who bash each other."
But Mr Zelaznik dismissed the sport's violent reputation: "There are strict safety measures to protect the fighters. There's no denying it's a combat sport and it may not be for everybody but there's some sports that I'm not totally keen on, like lawn bowling."
Mixed Martial Arts has become the fastest growing sport in the US, according to market research firm Ipsos Reid. Some fans pay up to $10,000 for front-row seats but it is the sale of television rights that is primarily responsible for the global expansion of the UFC empire, which was valued at $1.1 billion by the magazine Forbes last year.
Mr Zelaznik said UFC would target a young male audience in Australia. Television rights were being negotiated with Foxtel, Ten's new high-definition sports channel and a prominent pay-per-view network.
Source: The Sun-Herald
http://www.smh.com.au/news/sport/cage-rage-coming-here/2009/10/10/1255019652968.html