Medical Professionals Fight Against MMA In Canada

Century ago, men developed a combat style that is nowadays called Mixed Martial Arts. Its rules allow for a wide variety of fighting techniques to be used in each match. With that, martial artists skilled in different arts are able to compete in the ring. MMA is a full-contact sport and can be traced all the way back to ancient Rome.

But now, doctors met in Niagara Falls to talk about this during this year’s Canadian Medical Association’s annual meeting. Most of the doctors expressed their belief that this sport should not be legal. They simply argue that there is too large a prospect of injuries – much more significant than in other sports, like boxing for example.

Dr. Ian Gillespie, the president of BCMA, says that MMA fighting, like boxing, is different from from many other contests in that the main goal of the fighter is to cause injury in order to knock out his or her opponent. He also adds: the various techniques […] aren’t limited to blows, and there can be the presence of less safety [regulations~rules}.The British Medical Association also presented worries about MMA early in 2009 and are campaigning against MMA in Britain. They also argue that the sport is often very brutal and violent. Read BMA’s official statement ).

In an article from the opposite camp, WatchKalibRun.com presents their opinions on the arguments of the British Medical Association. They rightly suggest that there is limited or no data available from the British and link to an American study finding that injury and knock-out rates in Mixed Martial Arts are very comparable to other such activities.

The Hamilton Spectator interviewed two professionals from the field – a coach and a fighter – idea about the matter. They bring up the problem of less protection in MMA than in box, the rules are less strict plus any regulations are looser in general. Unlike in box, the target of a strike is not confined to the opponent’s head and the body in MMA, which makes room for more kinds of injuries. Nonetheless, it may make head injuries much less probable. In summary, both professionals are calling for the introduction of standardized procedures across Canada instead of maintaining separate regulations for every province.

Wondering why didn’t hear from our doctors earlier? Because only recently (in the middle of August 2010), Ontario government finally agreed to legalize MMA in the province. Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Warrior One (W1) are the two largest players in Canada. They already have business plans aiming to develop the sport in some of the most important cities and even several small-but-frequented ones. The premier of Ontario Mr. Dalton McGuinty took a leap of faith to allow the sport after prolonged negotiations and much thought, but wants continuous supervision of all events and adherence to all rules, according to Toronto Sun.

Doctors are not happy that there is a lack of trained professionals at the matches and even if there were, it would be unthinkable for them to powerlessly observe the injuries and just let them pass. Martial artists from the original schools argue that the sport is in its essence against the basic values of the old martial arts which are most importantly respect, self-control, courtesy and discipline.

As reported by CTV, Dr. Shelby Karpman rises his finger saying that due to the sport’s popularity, outlawing it would cause that the fighting take place at illegal venues. However, health supervisors would not be asked to participate and in turn the artists could count on subpar care, which in turn equals even greater danger.

In summary, it appears that if the sport cannot be banned, it should most definitely be officially regulated and adherence to rules should be controlled. This also means that there should be reasonable medical supervision with appropriate competencies; licensing, insurance and preventive measures should be in place.

Just in case you were wondering, extreme sports are treated as a special case for life insurance. Not every insurer will even sell you coverage. Those who offer such plans are absolutely going to charge you a much higher fee. The total fee will depend on the riskiness of the sport. A combat fighter must pay attention to any caveats in the plan agreement and should not take part in any but licensed events. Illegal fighting are excluded by all insurers.
However, each skilled Ontario life insurance advisor will explain you that life insurance alone isn’t sufficient for an extreme fighter. A fighter will likely cause bodily harm to his or her counterpart and will therefore be

liable for the reimbursements. It is a good idea that each fighter has a liability insurance coverage of his or her own. For liability insurance, it also holds true that the fight must be part of a duly licensed and supervised venue and is limited by any exclusions.