MMA legalized in PA

MMA legalized in PA: Brace Yourself for an Onslaught of Ill-Conceived Rocky References

by Charles Cieri - Philadelphia Citypaper



Pennsylvania has become the most recent of the 35+ states to officially sanction Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), most commonly known from its premiere league: the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). The announcement was met with excitement by local fighters and promoters eager to show-out for their home crowds. Below the surface, though, there is trepidation at the dangers legitimization will bring to this latest incarnation of the fight game.

After the jump, The Complex will cover how this unfolds for the fans and fighters of Philadelphia.

The process, which began officially in late 2006, concluded with the final institution of state-wide rules (which are basically the same as most other popular fight venues) taking place on February 27. Athletic Commission executive director Greg Sirb said in an e-mail Friday that he expects to see the first show some time between mid-April to May.

The competition for the traditionally lucrative inaugural show is fierce, with more than 100 applicants submitting paperwork to become licensed PA fight promoters. When the licensing period ends some time in April, the process of distinguishing who holds this honor will begin. Northeast Philadelphia's Ed Hsu, of Combat in the Cage, is one of the more experienced promoters; a match maker for more than 1000 fights (including kickboxing fights), he has worked in New Jersey, Delaware, Virginia and New York. He commented that he has never seen so many applicants for one state and expects the pool to be dramatically thinned out over the coming months.

So what can we expect besides tired and hacky "City of Brotherly Love" promotional parodies (prepare yourself for the "City of Brotherly Blood!"? Well, maybe not much. While as many as a dozen promoters around the state are already advertising shows starting as soon as April, fight fans shouldn't get their hopes up; Sirb has said in no uncertain terms that no one has been authorized to hold an event, let alone promote it. In recent conversation, I asked Sirb if these promoters faced any reprimand for jumping the gun. "Why would I do that?" he replied, baiting my guess that the potential of the events being scrapped was reprimand enough. Sirb isn't afraid to use his hammer.

As for when the UFC will come to town, bringing with it the top echelon of the sport? Reports are all over the place. UFC president Dana White has been making overtures that Philadelphia deserves to be in the category of Las Vegas as a big-time fight town, but has not publicly given any timeline. Some sources hypothesize as soon as this summer, but that seems extremely unlikely when considering the amount of planning involved - others suggest that anytime within a calendar year would be too optimistic.

The economic implications of this move seem to be muted right now. The only line from the state is that the Athletic Commission is expecting 15 to 20 professional events a year and 20 to 40 amateur-pro events. At the planned 5 percent commission on gross gate receipts, the state is expecting up to $80K a year for the state's general fund.

City councilman David Oh, who chaired the original committee which recommended the sanctioning of MMA, said in a phone interview that the potential for Philadelphia is great, considering the growing popularity of the sport. He also alluded to the increased opportunity of larger venue events here in Philly, due to the declining pull of Atlantic City casinos.

It is the unintended implications, though, that are the biggest variable in calculating the future of the sport.

For example, coaches and students of MMA's related fields - grappling, submission wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai and Judo, among others, which have been growing alongside MMA - fear that the new rules will apply to their tournaments making them logistically cumbersome. The idea of getting individual medical screenings (which the new rules require, including a negative pregnancy test for every female competitor) for hundreds of people would create funding and efficiency issues that could drive people and whole tournaments to other states. Sirb dismissed the confusion. "The commission would evaluate every tournament submitted to it, on a case by case basis," he said.

But the most reasonable explanation came from John Desimone of Maxercise in Center City, who attributed the red tape to disingenuous marketing. Grappling tournaments of all kinds have been held in PA for more than 50 years, with and without input from the Athletic Commission. He said any thought of further regulation is due to the recent trend of attaching to and feeding off of MMA's brutality. "[Promoters] try to make it look EXTREME and build it up as something dangerous, like an MMA event," said Desimone. This gives an otherwise safe and commonplace competition the appearance of something requiring regulation.

Still, the biggest, and most common concern (to a man, everyone I talked with expressed some variation on it) is who would be in charge. Two groups - the regulators and decision makers, long associated with boxing and the longtime MMA professionals - are both vying for control in shaping MMA in the Commonwealth. What everyone wants to know is how these choices be made, why and by whom.

The bickering has already started: Whispers behind the scenes (justly and unjustly) suggest experience and nepotism as the deciding factors. It will take careful monitoring to ensure the managing of MMA is done with transparency by those most qualified, as opposed to awarding the responsibility to those who are among the least qualified due to entrenchment in bureaucracy, far removed from the realities of the fighting sports.

However it plays out, expect the logistics to get messy. Jared Wiener of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu United in Jenkintown summed up many of problems MMA will face, and voiced a part of the reaction to it. "Man, this is Philly, we already have plenty of corruption and scumbags," he said. “Like any other place, with managers and promoters, some of them looking to get their hands wet. It's nothing new here."

We'll be keeping an ear to the ground as the situation comes clear, so be sure to stay connected to The Complex to see how MMA and PA reconcile.

* that the article and opinions of the Writer does not necessarily reflect those of CITC.