| - Marco Antico |
| Copyright© 2007 Canadian Mixed Martial Arts Association (CMMAA). |
The Battle Continues for MMA in Ontario
by Marco Antico
Albert Doxtator held the first Mixed Martial Art event in Ontario in December 2006. He's now
planning to hold another event, again on the Oneida First Nations near London, on August 25.
The card has been sanctioned by the newly created Oneida Athletic Commission. Sound
good? Read on.
Doxtator is finding it difficult to find fighters to compete on his fight card. He says that they are
worried about being charged under section 83 of Canada's Criminal Code. That is a strong
possibility as the London OPP have opened a case on Doxtator's Fighting Spirit Challenge
promotion.
MMA actually began in Quebec from unregulated events being held on Indian Reserves. The
original competitors and their coaches were charged under section 83 as they walked off the
Reserve. The police also caused the promoter's Pay Per View deal to fall through, costing
them thousands of dollars in lost revenue. In short, the event was a disaster. But from that
debacle, the province of Quebec decided they needed to control these types of events from
occurring again (and they would have) so they instituted regulations for MMA. Today, Quebec
along with Alberta are producing some of the country's top athletes, several promotions are
flourishing and no one has even been seriously injured.
Perhaps Ontario could learn a thing or two from their neighbours to the east. I bet you're
thinking that Doxtator's struggles could be the catalyst for Professional MMA in this province.
Think again.
MMA hasn't been the only sport with a gripe with the Ontario Athletic Commission (OAC).
Although it's not made public, you may be surprised to hear that Kick-Boxing has launched a
multi-million dollar lawsuit against the OAC. Kick-Boxing promoters from back in the 90s are
arguing that the OAC violated their economic freedoms by being overly restrictive on safety
and interfering last minute with their fight cards. Professional boxing isn't exactly flourishing
here in Ontario either thanks to such bewildering rules as the $1,700 levy promoters have to
pay the OAC on all knockouts.
The OAC has been standing firm on their position that they will need to observe Amateur MMA
here in Ontario for a number of years followed perhaps by a medical study, before they would
consider Professional MMA. They also say that section 83 of Canada's Criminal Code may
first have to be changed even though it seems to be a non-issue for virtually every other
province in Canada.
Still, it does not further our cause by venting anger over the current state of affairs. The OAC
seems to being staying firm on their position. The Ontario and Canadian Mixed Martial Art
Associations have assumed the burden of meeting the arduous requirements for Amateur
MMA in good faith that the government will give us due course once we've completed our
assignments.
While many support Doxtator's efforts to circumvent the OAC and force MMA through the door
in Ontario, others are concerned of the potential fallout if something were to go wrong. There
seems to be no clear cut right answer to this messy predicament. But, one thing that everyone
can agree on is a common passion for MMA and the desire to see it here in Ontario.
Furthermore, some readers may have saw the headline of this article on our homepage and
wondered, "why the heck is CMMAA talking about fights on an Indian Reserve?" Our approach
to getting MMA in Ontario is obviously in stark contradiction to what Albert Doxtator and other
will be MMA promoters are doing. By the way, there are more and more unregulated MMA
events happening in Ontario each passing day - surprise, surprise! We all share a common
goal and how or who gets there first isn't what's important.
To answer the readers initial question as to why we'd print an article like this, the answer is
twofold. Firstly, we do not view the efforts of Doxtator to be evil as some of our readers might
have thought. And more importantly, the more people we can educate and the more
conversation we can stimulate on this obstacle we face in Ontario, the better for all of us!
MMA in Ontario isn't something that only a select few would benefit from. Ontario promoters,
gym owners, coaches, athletes and fans need to start viewing themselves as all being on the
same team with a common goal. When MMA finally comes to Ontario, the opportunities for all
concerned will be plentiful. Albert Doxtator and CMMAA/OMMAA are doing our best to make
sure that we're not old and grey when that day arrives.
by Marco Antico
Albert Doxtator held the first Mixed Martial Art event in Ontario in December 2006. He's now
planning to hold another event, again on the Oneida First Nations near London, on August 25.
The card has been sanctioned by the newly created Oneida Athletic Commission. Sound
good? Read on.
Doxtator is finding it difficult to find fighters to compete on his fight card. He says that they are
worried about being charged under section 83 of Canada's Criminal Code. That is a strong
possibility as the London OPP have opened a case on Doxtator's Fighting Spirit Challenge
promotion.
MMA actually began in Quebec from unregulated events being held on Indian Reserves. The
original competitors and their coaches were charged under section 83 as they walked off the
Reserve. The police also caused the promoter's Pay Per View deal to fall through, costing
them thousands of dollars in lost revenue. In short, the event was a disaster. But from that
debacle, the province of Quebec decided they needed to control these types of events from
occurring again (and they would have) so they instituted regulations for MMA. Today, Quebec
along with Alberta are producing some of the country's top athletes, several promotions are
flourishing and no one has even been seriously injured.
Perhaps Ontario could learn a thing or two from their neighbours to the east. I bet you're
thinking that Doxtator's struggles could be the catalyst for Professional MMA in this province.
Think again.
MMA hasn't been the only sport with a gripe with the Ontario Athletic Commission (OAC).
Although it's not made public, you may be surprised to hear that Kick-Boxing has launched a
multi-million dollar lawsuit against the OAC. Kick-Boxing promoters from back in the 90s are
arguing that the OAC violated their economic freedoms by being overly restrictive on safety
and interfering last minute with their fight cards. Professional boxing isn't exactly flourishing
here in Ontario either thanks to such bewildering rules as the $1,700 levy promoters have to
pay the OAC on all knockouts.
The OAC has been standing firm on their position that they will need to observe Amateur MMA
here in Ontario for a number of years followed perhaps by a medical study, before they would
consider Professional MMA. They also say that section 83 of Canada's Criminal Code may
first have to be changed even though it seems to be a non-issue for virtually every other
province in Canada.
Still, it does not further our cause by venting anger over the current state of affairs. The OAC
seems to being staying firm on their position. The Ontario and Canadian Mixed Martial Art
Associations have assumed the burden of meeting the arduous requirements for Amateur
MMA in good faith that the government will give us due course once we've completed our
assignments.
While many support Doxtator's efforts to circumvent the OAC and force MMA through the door
in Ontario, others are concerned of the potential fallout if something were to go wrong. There
seems to be no clear cut right answer to this messy predicament. But, one thing that everyone
can agree on is a common passion for MMA and the desire to see it here in Ontario.
Furthermore, some readers may have saw the headline of this article on our homepage and
wondered, "why the heck is CMMAA talking about fights on an Indian Reserve?" Our approach
to getting MMA in Ontario is obviously in stark contradiction to what Albert Doxtator and other
will be MMA promoters are doing. By the way, there are more and more unregulated MMA
events happening in Ontario each passing day - surprise, surprise! We all share a common
goal and how or who gets there first isn't what's important.
To answer the readers initial question as to why we'd print an article like this, the answer is
twofold. Firstly, we do not view the efforts of Doxtator to be evil as some of our readers might
have thought. And more importantly, the more people we can educate and the more
conversation we can stimulate on this obstacle we face in Ontario, the better for all of us!
MMA in Ontario isn't something that only a select few would benefit from. Ontario promoters,
gym owners, coaches, athletes and fans need to start viewing themselves as all being on the
same team with a common goal. When MMA finally comes to Ontario, the opportunities for all
concerned will be plentiful. Albert Doxtator and CMMAA/OMMAA are doing our best to make
sure that we're not old and grey when that day arrives.