« Podcast entries | Home | Media notes »
Eugene moves forward for MMA ban
By Zach Arnold | September 12, 2006
By Zach Arnold
Last Saturday night, the IFL drew over 5,300 paid at The Rose Quarter in Portland, Oregon. Oregon maintains a very good record nationally for their grass-roots support and training of MMA fighters, specifically with Team Quest. However, a major city in Oregon has been debating for the last few months about banning MMA. That city is Eugene, Oregon. In an article in The Register-Guard on Tuesday, writer Edward Russo filed a report from a city council meeting that will put a measure up for voting as to whether or not to ban MMA from the city.
As I’ve encouraged in past posts on this subject, it’s definitely time for people knowledgeable on MMA to talk to the locally elected officials in the area to persuade them not to integrate this ban. One of the politicians listed in the article is George Poling. You can contact him via e-mail at [email protected] to intelligently state a pro-MMA position (do not write hate mail to the man). Please spread the word about this upcoming ban in Eugene on all the major MMA forums – MMA Fighting, Sherdog, and other boards.
Topics: All Topics, Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 2 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Here is what I wrote to him. On the bottom, I added the NSAC regulations for MMA.
I have recently read about a propostion to ban Mixed Martial Arts in Eugene.
MMA is currently regulated in many states. Simply banning it is a step backwards in regards to a sport that have grown monumentally in the past few years and is gaining acceptance and understanding throughout the U.S. There is never been a death, in the U.S., of a contestant in an MMA contest. The regulations that are currently accepted in most states make the sport safer, and more legitimate, than ever before. The sport is attracting more and more nationally recognized athletes from sports such as wrestling and boxing. More than one national wrestling champion is currently competing as a professional MMA fighter, as well as Oregon’s own Olympic silver medalist Matt Lindland.
Instead of banning it, why not simply require that it to be regulated? I have put below the rules and regulations as put forth by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. These rules are extensive and provide for weight classes as well as requiring medical examinations and put forth the option of medical suspensions after events. If you look at these rules, I think you will agree they provide more than enough regulations to ensure the safety of the contestants and maintain fair competitive bouts.
I hope you view this with an open mind, as the stereotypic image of MMA is an outdated concept of days gone by. Thank you for your time.
Jeremy Lynch
Hey everybody,
I have listed all of the email addresses for the entire Eugene city council and for the Mayor at my My Space blog: myspace.com/mysterlynch
I am also going to post it on Sherdog and MMAweekly.