Debating MMA vs Porn In Ireland
This week it is a strange one. I got a phone call from Newstalk (an Irish radio station) asking to come on and talk about the Irish Martial Arts Council (IMAC) comparing MMA to pornography and being sadistic. Of course said yes, any chance I have to pretend my opinion is important will be taken.
I found the article that lead to the phone call ) to be hilarious. I thought the comments were made by a 12-year-old, and was surprised that it was a sport’s governing body making them.
To cut through it a small bit, I can understand why the IMAC wouldn’t want MMA to be seen as a legitimate, regulated sport in Ireland. They govern the traditional martial arts (outside of boxing who have their own commission). The traditional martial arts, in general, avoid fighting. There are a lot of forms etc involved.
Which is a great aspect to what they do, and a huge amount of people benefit from them. But when it comes down to popularity, the traditional martial arts are scared of MMA. MMA brings all aspects together instead of strictly separating them. That is why the above article was written. The Fox news like the headline is designed to scare mothers and fathers around the country.
MMA is not Pornography
But let’s look at the reality. MMA is neither pornography nor sadistic. No Google search I have ever done has resulted in a website having porn and MMA in the same video. Yes, of course, MMA should be regulated and legitimised in Ireland. The more legit a sport is, the safer it becomes for everyone.
The answer to all of this is, of course, education. Everyone should know the rules before entering a discussion on a topic they won’t be interested in in the first place. A lot of the comments I have received since the interview has been from people who have never watched MMA and don’t like any sort of combat sport.
In a sport that is alien to most, it is far more regulated in its short history than its sister sport boxing. Medical care only became top of the line after the Eubank v Watson fight, where Watson had minimal care after the fight at ringside. The BBBC lost a court case of care of the boxer. If that had never happened then it would be lagging behind MMA in terms of fighter care.
Regulation is inevitable, as long as nonsense doesn’t get in the way. Here is the link to the interview; I am on from about 5 minutes in.
Let me know what you think @nkeegan
Images courtesy of radiofreerichmond.com & fightpassport.com