Kids and MMA

[Dragonzbane76]

hum....I could find some pics of kids wrestling that are pretty similar to these and put a spin on them that depicts it as violent and abusive. I'm not saying that kids should be in the cage fighting full on fights now. I believe that they should at least be 18 before they step into the cage, but that is not to say that the training regiments cannot be used by them.

[GeneChing]

There are a lot more pix if you follow the link. It's a NG piece after all.

Photos Show Controversial World of Kids’ Mixed Martial Arts Fighting
Kids as young as eight can compete in mixed martial arts in California.


Fourteen-year-old Korey Mendoza (right) competes against Muhammed Ali Umar in mixed martial arts in San Bernardino, California. Before and after every competition, they must be examined by a physician.
PHOTOGRAPH BY AXEL OBERG

By Becky Little
Photographs by Axel Oberg
PUBLISHED JULY 14, 2016

Sam Mendoza’s oldest son started doing competitive mixed martial arts when he was about 10. His youngest son began when he was six.

During competitions, Korey and Sammy (now 14 and 11, respectively) use moves from multiple disciplines—including wrestling, kickboxing, and jujitsu—against their opponents. Kids Sammy’s age or younger are paired against both boys and girls; but since Korey is over 12, he only spars with boys.

Kids’ mixed martial arts (MMA) is modeled after the adult version popularized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship—a sport so controversial New York didn’t legalize it until last year. (It is now legal in all 50 states.)

Although youth MMA is less well known and less brutal than its grown-up inspiration, it too has faced its share of criticism. In a 2008 article, MMA commentator Sam Caplan wrote that “It should be illegal for anyone under the [age of] 18 to compete in a mixed martial arts fight.” And Mendoza, who organizes youth MMA matches with the United States Fight League in San Bernardino, California, is certainly aware of this sentiment.

“A lot of people think I’m crazy,” he says. “They think I’m a bad parent.”

But youth MMA as practiced by the U.S. Fight League isn’t the same as what you’d see at an adult UFC match. Kids aren’t allowed to strike their opponent’s head or knock anyone out. For further safety, all contestants must be checked by a physician before and after fighting. Fighters wear headgear, and promoters must also have an ambulance stationed outside during fights. So far, the league hasn’t recorded any concussions in 222 paired fights between October 2014 and May 2016.


Unlike many youth sports, girls and boys ages eight to 11 compete against each other in the U.S. Fight League. Once they turn 12, they are separated by gender.
PHOTOGRAPH BY AXEL OBERG

John Rodriguez and Adam Brooks, both M.D.s and orthopedic sports medicine fellows, have been using the league’s records to study sports injuries in youth MMA. (Rodriguez’s fellowship is at the Andrews Research & Education Foundation, and Brooks’ is at the University of California, Los Angeles.)

Rodriguez says that because most sports don’t have a physician examine kids before and after activity, “the chance of missing a concussion, I think, is a lot higher in almost every other youth sport” than it is for the MMA practiced by the U.S. Fight League.

That said, the league’s data doesn’t include injuries that might be sustained during practice. And as Brooks notes, “you spend a lot more time training than you do in the actual fight.” Ultimately, Rodriguez and Brooks say that they don’t have enough data yet to say how safe youth MMA is compared to other popular sports like soccer or football.

Since 2014, the U.S. Fight League has registered about 240 fighters ages eight to 17 in California and Missouri, the only two states where youth MMA is regulated. And U.S. Fight League founder Jon Frank hopes that youth MMA becomes regulated in other states. He says that it can boost kids’ discipline and self-esteem, but emphasizes one benefit above all others.

“At the end of the day, it’s a form of self-defense,” says Frank. “And if you’re going to take the most effective form of self-defense, there’s nothing that comes close to mixed martial arts.”

Frank adds that a lot of parents get their kids involved with MMA because they are worried about bullying. And when GQ correspondent Drew Magary reported on kids MMA near Orlando, Florida, he also picked up on this, writing: “Bullying is the number one reason kids wind up here.”

The fact that MMA is a form of self-defense doesn’t mean that Frank wants kids to take their fighting skills outside of the ring. Yet as more kids begin to practice the sport—both in states where it’s regulated and states like Florida, where it isn’t—conversations not just about its safety, but also its legitimacy as a sport for kids, are poised to come out of the cage and into the mainstream.

Follow Becky Little on Twitter.

[Jimbo]

I see no problem with youth MMA, as long as they aren't allowed to strike the head/KO the opponent until they turn 18. It's probably a good deal less violent or traumatic than youth football or Golden Gloves boxing. As long as the kids are also taught to have a mature, respectful and responsible mindset outside of the gym or cage.

I DO have an issue with the guy who said that MMA is 'the most effective form of self-defense'. IMO, it shows a basic oversimplification and ignorance of what real-world 'self-defense' entails. Self-defense involves many, MANY factors and scenarios. It isn't just taking down a single, unarmed school bully in a schoolyard tussle, submitting him, winning his respect and then becoming buddies with him. It doesn't even always involve up-close, personal contact. For only one example: With the widespread popularity and availability of MMA training, I'm willing to bet that a number of victims in some of the recent terror attacks trained in MMA. Self-defense runs the gamut from that type of scenario to avoidance, all the way up to legal issues. I could go on and on, but my point should be self-explanatory.

[GeneChing]

Chechen leader infuriates long-time friend Vladimir Putin by entering his three sons as young as EIGHT in mixed martial arts brawls – and televising it

Ramzan Kadyrov posted videos of his sons pummeling their opponents
Akhmad, 10, Eli, 9, and Adam, 8, all took part in the TV broadcasted fights
The Kremlin has called for an investigation
Russian rules forbid children under 12 from stepping into the ring
MMA pro Fedor Emelianenko described the event as 'unacceptable'

By FRANKI COOKNEY FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 07:19 EST, 6 October 2016 | UPDATED: 11:06 EST, 6 October 2016


Kadyrov's sons Akhmad, 10 (pictured with his father), Eli, 9, and Adam, 8, all took part in the fights

The Kremlin has called for an investigation after state TV broadcast mixed martial arts fights between children as young as eight.
Ramzan Kadyrov, the strongman leader of the Russian region of Chechnya, entered three of his young sons into so-called exhibition bouts during a televised fight on Tuesday.
His little boy Akhmad, 10, beat another child by a technical knockout in the cage during an 'exhibition bout' on a nationally televised fight on Tuesday. His younger brothers Eli and Adam were also seen pummeling their young opponents as the crowd roar with encouragement.
President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said that the fact that one fight between 10-year-olds finished with a technical knockout was 'a reason for the appropriate oversight agencies to inquire about this incident.'
He suggested the fights were a matter for children's rights ombudsman Anna Kuznetsova.
Deputy Sports Minister Pavel Kolobkov has told Russian news agency R-Sport that he will look into the fights, citing rules that children under 12 are not allowed to step into the ring.
Scroll down for video


Ramzan Kadyrov, the strongman leader of the Russian region of Chechnya, posted videos of his sons competing in the fights on Instagram

Kadyrov has already been slammed for allowing his sons, aged between 8 and 10, to compete in a mixed martial arts tournament - and then sharing the videos online.
The burly former warlord and longtime pal of Russian president Vladimir Putin was criticised by leading Russian MMA pro Fedor Emelianenko for letting his sons take part in the 'unacceptable' event.
In a statement on his Instagram page, Emelianenko said the children risked permanent injury and psychological harm.
'What happened at the tournament in Grozny is unacceptable and, moreover, cannot be justified,' said Emelianenko, who heads the Russian MMA Union.
'There were little ones, eight years old, punching each other in front of happy adults. Is it really so important for you to organize a spectacle at the cost of children's health?!'
It was 'incomprehensible to me' that state TV showed children's fights, he added.


Russian MMA pro Fedor Emelianenko described the event as 'unacceptable' and said the children risked permanent injury and psychological harm

Emelianenko said children under the age of 12 should not be allowed to take part in any MMA fights and that anyone under the age of 21 must wear a helmet and protective gear for safety reasons. The children in the televised bouts fought bare-headed. In at least one case, a child received a heavy blow to the head.
The children walked into the ring with background music, were announced in the same way as pro fighters and were rewarded with belts when they won, with their father looking on. The TV broadcast from the Chechen capital Grozny was chiefly focused on adult bouts, but featured professional commentary and graphics introducing the child fighters.
Kadyrov - who was inaugurated Wednesday to a new term as Chechnya's leader - later posted footage of the fights to his personal Instagram account where it received over 150,000 views.



Among his congratulatory comments for his sons, he wrote that a defeated 10-year-old opponent 'showed real masculine character,' adding: 'I'm sure there are victorious fights ahead.'
It's not the first time the Chechan leader, who was once described a 'medieval tyrant', has run into trouble with his Instagram feed.
Half social media-savvy, half snap-happy, the father-of-eight has 905,000 followers and regularly posts bizarre shots of himself with baby animals such as kittens, lambs and even a baby tiger.


The father-of-eight has 905,000 Instagram followers and regularly posts bizarre shots of himself with baby animals such as kittens, lambs and even a baby tiger

He also appears to have a penchant for fancy dress, sharing pictures of himself dressed as a knight in armour and in medieval peasant garb.
Kadyrov has been repeatedly accused of human rights violations during his rule of Chechnya, including murders and forced disappearances.
He is a noted sports fan, overseeing a Russian Premier League soccer team, and once challenged one of his ministers to a boxing match after criticizing his work.
Kadyrov, who is a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, won re-election as Chechnya's leader last month with almost 98 percent of the vote, according to regional election authorities. He faces almost no organized political opposition.

Odd story. Didn't expect this thread to go this way.

[GeneChing]

Now there doesn't seem to be clear evidence that this attack is related, but if it is, that's a new low, even for Russian MMA.

Daughter of Russian MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko attacked in Moscow
Published time: 13 Oct, 2016 17:41


Fedor Emelianenko © Vladimir Astapkovich / Reuters

The daughter of Russian Mixed Martial Arts champion Fedor Emelianenko required hospital treatment after being attacked in Moscow. Emelianenko recently made headlines for criticizing an MMA event in Chechnya that involved underage participants.
The 16-year-old girl was attacked last week on her way home from school, when a stranger approached her in the street and hit her in the chest, Russian newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets (MK) reported. She was taken to hospital and a criminal case was launched.

The girl is now "feeling well," according to the MMA Union press secretary, Yulia Kuklina, who spoke to TASS on Thursday.

The fighter’s daughter told police the attacker was of "Slavic appearance," KP.ru cited a Moscow police official as saying. The official reportedly added that the suspect did not hide his face, and that there was some "interesting" footage from CCTV cameras that should help law enforcement officers find the man.

Having confirmed that the teenager received a blow to the chest, the source said that the man "just came up to the girl and hit her," with "nothing having seemingly led to a conflict."

The attack has been condemned by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Noting that he knows Fedor Emelianenko personally, Peskov added that "it's always worrying and painful when a friend's daughter is attacked," as quoted by Interfax on Thursday.

Peskov said that Russian President Vladimir Putin had been informed of the incident, but advised people to avoid any speculation on possible motives for the attack while the investigation was ongoing.

Last week Emelianenko, who is head of the governing body of Russian MMA, became involved in controversy surrounding the ‘Grand Prix Akhmat 2016’ mixed martial arts event in Chechnya. Emelianenko criticized the organizers of the tournament for featuring MMA fights between underage children.

Saying that he was "outraged" by the event, the Russian MMA Union head also personally addressed Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who was an honored guest at the event and whose sons took part in the bouts.

The tournament sparked huge controversy on social media. While some MMA fighters have been taking sides, supporting either the Chechen organizers or Emelianenko, Kadyrov has appealed for calm, saying that "the conflict should not be escalated."

[GeneChing]

Impressive

12-Year-Old Momo Wins MMA Debut by Choking Her 24-Year-Old Opponent Unconscious
NATHAN MCCARTER
MAY 20, 2017

Bruno Massami‏
@BrMassami



12 years old girl, Momo got a RNC win against Momoko Yamasaki at Deep Jewels event in Tokyo.
2:40 AM - 20 May 2017
66 Retweets 47 likes

Remember the 12-year-old girl who was set to make her amateur MMA debut at Deep Jewels 16 against a woman twice her age? Well, it happened Saturday in Tokyo.

And she dominated her elder.

Momo, competing in the 95-pound minimumweight division, wasted little time in getting the back of her opponent and sinking in a rear-naked choke. Momoko Yamazaki tried to fight it, but Momo eventually put her to sleep.

Prior to the bout, Momo's manager, Shu Hirata, didn't mince words in a statement to WMMARankings.com, saying he expected the fight to be a "humiliation" for Yamazaki.


He was correct.

The young prospect trains at the same gym as star Mizuki Inoue, and the victory will keep her in the limelight for the time being.

Here's Momo (standing far right) post-fight:

Twitterで画像を見る



フォローする
tatsuyakay @tatsuyakay
お友達を抱く古瀬美月！！！
ガチの萌えだ！！！#DEEPJEWELS
2017年May20日 04:27
12 12件のリツイート 43 いいね43件
Twitter広告の情報とプライバシー

Now she goes back to being the young assassin she is.

[Jimbo]

Was Momo's adult opponent even that experienced?

TBH, I'm not sure this is so great. The adult woman couldn't have won either way. If the woman had won, she would have been accused of beating a 12 year-old. Since she lost, she's now humiliated.

If they keep feeding Momo 'easy' adults, is that really good? What happens if they draw the wrong opponent who can really fight and doesn't give a crap that she's 12? Because that will most likely happen, unless they're carefully hand-picking her opponents for her.

[Oso]

Jimbo said a lot of what I was thinking. How legit do we know this fight to be? I'm all for kids getting their confidence on and getting skilled early. But, this smacks of 'promoterism' for sure. yea, i think i just made that word up but w/e. I'm not involved enough anymore to search for a vid of the fight. Another thought: a 12 year old 95 pounder is big...yet an adult 95 pounder is small. IDK, I think all this is maybe promotional in nature and some adult person who maybe has been training really hard to 'be someone' just had to throw a fight. idk. I no Know.

[Oso]

just scrolled up a bit...i've missed some stuff.

1 - junior high and high school wrestling fulfills all any <18 year old needs for competitive grappling. **** off to any of you bjj naysayers: I beat my first bjj opponent in a post bjj seminar 'challenge' by knowing more about body positioning.
2 - there are many boxing clubs that have 'olympic' style/rules boxing for <18 year old. This is as much striking skill as is needed to start mma training at 18.

this thing with kids training mma is manufactured by wannabe parents living vicariously through their kids and is harmful to those kids as much as the whole 'beauty pageant' thing and any other sport where kids are pressured at a young age to perform beyond their natural development.

[GeneChing]

The Complicated Morality of a Mixed Martial Arts Fight Club for Impoverished Chinese Boys
Posted 1 September 2017 8:24 GMT


An adolescent was forced to sign a document ending his training at a fight club and sent back home. Screen capture from Beijing News video.

A video of underprivileged adolescent mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters duking it out in a ring, with a large crowd cheering them on, recently went viral on the Chinese web, triggering widespread debate about the morality of recruiting vulnerable children to take part in a violent sport.

In response, government officials — seemingly to save face — yanked some of the children from the club without prior warning, leaving the boys in tears and Chinese netizens worrying about the young ones’ futures.

The original report, entitled “MMA orphans: If you don’t fight, then you can go back home and eat potatoes,” was produced by online media outlet Pear Video. It shows a number of boys between the ages of 12 and 14 fighting. Some of their faces are bloodied.

They belong to EnBo Fight Club in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, founded by a man named En Bo, who used to serve in the Chinese Armed Police Force and won two championships in a district army fighting match.

The video reports that EnBo Fight Club takes in about 400 children of the Yi people, an ethnic minority from Liang Shan Autonomous Prefecture. Rates of drug abuse, HIV and poverty are high in the region. Most of the EnBo children have lost either one or both of their parents, and would have to work hard labor at home.

In the club, they eat foods that might not otherwise be available to them, like beef and eggs. One of the employees from EnBo mentions that the children earn some money from their commercial fights; the money is managed by the club and is given to the children when they need it.

One of the children says that even though the training is hard sometimes, life in the club is much better than back in his hometown. His ultimate dream is to win the UFC (Unlimited Fighting Championship), which comes with a gold belt.



Perhaps unsurprisingly, EnBo Fight Club came under fire after the video report went viral. Chinese netizens furiously debated the ethics of an MMA fighting club for vulnerable boys:

Translation Original Quote
Starting such intense fight training when they are only adolescents will probably cause permanent damage to their bodies in the future.

Translation Original Quote
This is also a good way out to a brighter future, much better than growing up deep in the mountains and then trying to go to the city.

Translation Original Quote
Letting the kids be trained to participate in underground combat and to entertain the gamblers, this is the right path? My god!

Translation Original Quote
How comes starting young in ping pong, gymnastics, or basketball aren’t considered bad for your future, but training to be a fighter is believed to lead to no future, that it can only teach physical fighting and become a hidden danger for society?

‘Is the government’s face more important than the kids?’

Following the attention, on August 17 local authorities from Liang Shan county in Sichuan province stepped in. They pulled some of the children from the club, took them back home, encouraged them to focus on their studies, and promised 748 yuan per month (112 US dollars) as a monthly stipend for those living in extreme poverty.

But club founder En Bo wasn't hosting and training the children without the government's knowledge. He says some government officials from Liang Shan contacted him and sent him the first batch of students. Later more arrangements of the same nature were made.

Some of the criticism centered on the children being deprived of the opportunity to receive China's nine-year compulsory education. En Bo explained to Beijing News that he tried to enroll the boys in schools in Chengdu, but was asked to pay 30,000-50,000 yuan (about 4,500-7,500 US dollars) per child for fixing their local residential permits. Eventually, he decided to start his own night school in the club by hiring four part-time tutors to teach Chinese and math.

continued next post

[GeneChing]

During the interview, the fight club founder choked up when talking about the children having to leave. Below is the full video report of their last day in the club:



Beijing News interviewed a number of the boys, who were in tears when they learned it would be their last day. The video showed children being forcibly dragged away from the club, triggering another heated online debate, but this time, public morality and local government authorities were the subject of scrutiny:

Translation Original Quote
This is the saddest video I’ve seen this year! An outcome of collective vice in the name of “kindness”!

Translation Original Quote
[Imagine] your parents are drug addicts, gamblers or have vanished. In the mountains, you are always starving. One day, a top-level sports club in the city takes you in without asking you for a training fee. It gives you food and Nike sport shoes, provides you with the world's top trainers. You have teachers and friends and have developed a sense of confidence… suddenly, everything ends and you have to return to the mountains. If I were in that situation, I might kill myself.

Translation Original Quote
Admire En Bo, a great dream creator.

Translation Original Quote
Is the government’s face more important than the kids?

Translation Original Quote
When you forcefully took the kids away, did you consider what they think? You are just putting your own desire above the kids, and believe that it’s the right thing to do.

Translation Original Quote
En Bo should use this opportunity to advertise the fight club, if it’s the right road you should keep going! MMA is a very good sport!

Discussions will surely continue, and we can only wish the children all the best in their future.

Written by
Jimmy Wu

This is complicated knowing Chinese culture. It somewhat reminds me of the Opera school where Jackie, Sammo and their martial siblings were trained.

Kids &
China MMA

[GeneChing]

Anyone active here from Missouri?

Missouri House votes to ban children from mixed martial arts
Thursday, March 15th 2018, 11:23 am PDT
Thursday, March 15th 2018, 11:25 am PDT


The Missouri House has passed a proposal that would ban children 17 and younger from participating in mixed martial arts or professional kickboxing. (Source: Pixabay.com)

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - The Missouri House has passed a proposal that would ban children 17 and younger from participating in mixed martial arts or professional kickboxing.

The bill, approved Thursday in a 112-29 vote, would put amateur kickboxing and both professional and mixed martial arts under state supervision. In an amateur mixed martial arts contest, elbow strikes to the head would no longer be allowed, nor would knee strikes to the head during the first five bouts. However, contestants could agree to allow knee strikes after that.

Proponents say the rules will protect children from potential brain damage.

Opponents say the bill creates unnecessary regulations and infringes on parental rights.

The bill now moves to the Senate.

The bill is HB 1388

Thread: Kids and MMA
Thread: MMA legal in which states now?

[GeneChing]

Missouri approves measure preventing minors from entering MMA competitions
POSTED 5:46 PM, JULY 10, 2018, BY VIC FAUST, UPDATED AT 04:23PM, JULY 10, 2018

ST. LOUIS - Mixed martial arts is a tough, physical sport. A new Missouri measure, which sailed through the state House and Senate, is making sure kids under 18 can’t ever fight in a cage.

“With the sport growing in leaps and bounds right now, we needed something like this for the state of Missouri,” said Jesse Finney, owner of Finney’s MMA.

Finney, a former MMA fighter, is the biggest MMA promoter in the state. He said kids are training in record numbers and legislation was needed to monitor their activity. They can train, just not fight in a cage like adults.

“That's our biggest program here at Finney’s MMA,” he said. “You’re not going to bully people, this is for anti-bullying.”

Missouri Representative David Gregory (R-Sunset Hills), who sponsored the measure, said oversight of cage matches will be handled by the Missouri Department of Insurance, Financial Institutions, and Professional Registration, the latter of which covers the Office of Athletics.

“We’re not adding new rules to the fighting industry,” Gregory said. “All we're doing is ensuring current rules and regulations are being enforced.”

The state will issue permits for events and send inspectors to events, just like boxing, wrestling, and kickboxing competitions.

Gregory said the measure has received universal support locally.

“Promotors, businessmen, gym owners, current fighters, former fighters, everybody is on board and thought this was a good thing,” he said.

The state is expected to have the rules in place to begin regulating fights by August 28.

Looks like this is going through.

[@PLUGO]

Banma Duoji grew up poor in a single-parent home in Tibet, where he thought he'd spend the rest of his life as an impoverished yak herder. Then he discovered Enbo Fight Club in Chengdu, China, which trains disadvantaged children from Tibet to be MMA fighters free of charge. The club's founder, Mr. Enbo, has become a father figure for Banma—teaching him discipline, helping him learn Chinese, and transforming him into one of the club's fiercest brawlers.



VICE followed Banma and his coach from the gym to a pro match, where the "Prince of Fighters" looked to maintain his impressive five-fight winning streak.

[boxerbilly]

Bad idea parents !