State officials shut down a mixed martial arts fight
Blog post by Jennifer Jacobs •
jejacobs@dmreg.com • August 24, 2010
A mixed martial arts promoter failed to turn in documentation of new safety regulations, so state officials shut down its event in Bloomfield last week, state officials said this morning.
Iowa Labor Commissioner Dave Neil issued a cease and desist order last week against Midwest Fighting Championship, said Kerry Koonce, a spokeswoman for Iowa Workforce Development.
Midwest Fighting Championship didn’t turn in required paperwork – proof of medical insurance, proof each fighter had a blood test, and copies of each fighter’s contract – 24 hours before an event set for last Friday, Koonce said.
“The laws surrounding mixed martial arts fights are there to protect everyone involved,” Neil said in a written statement this morning. “The required blood work and physicals ensure that fighters are in condition before the match and the required health insurance prevents Iowans from picking up the bill for medical expenses when fighters frequently end up in the emergency room following a match.”
State lawmakers approved new legislation cracking down on unsafe practices in mixed martial arts. The changes took effect July 1.
Mixed martial arts is an unarmed combat sport in which two fighters seek to achieve dominance by using a combination of permitted martial arts techniques such as grappling, kicking and striking.
Industry insiders had told lawmakers that mixed martial arts is a popular and respected sport, but that the industry in Iowa needed to be cleaned up. Problems cited included mismatched fights between experienced and novice fighters, inside-the-cage rules that differ between sanctioning bodies, judges and referees who are related to the promoter, and judges being allowed to consume alcohol during events.
A Waverly father told The Des Moines Register that no one stopped his 17-year-old son from climbing into the cage for a mixed martial arts fight even though he was underage, didn’t have a parent’s permission and had never fought before. An experienced fighter beat him badly, leaving him with a broken nose, a cracked eye socket and vision damage.
And a 20-year-old Shenandoah man shared the story of how he was paralyzed from the neck down in an amateur fight. The promoter who staged the event didn’t offer to pay medical expenses — and wasn’t required by law to do so.
One changes in Iowa regulations is meant to ensure all fighters – both professional and amateur – are at least 18 years old. Promoters must obtain a license from the labor commissioner before staging any fight. The labor commissioner can suspend the license of a contestant if the contestant fails a pre-fight physical or cannot produce proof of being at least 18.
State labor officials have issued 37 fight licenses so far this year, Koonce said. Most promoters cooperate with the state officials and are following the laws, she said.
“The few promoters who consistently try to skirt Iowa’s laws present an unprofessional image that affects everyone involved in the sport,” Koonce said in the news release.
The Davis County Sheriff’s Department assisted the labor commissioner in delivering the cease and desist order in Bloomfield.
The Register is trying to reach Midwest Fighting Championship for comment.
An organizer posted this message on the Midwest Fighting Championship Facebook page on Friday: “YES FIGHTS ARE OFF IF ANYONE THINKS THEY CAN RUN A SHOW BETTER GO AHEAD AND DO IT CANT DO ANYTHING WHEN STATE SHUTS IT DOWN.”
When a reader asked why the state shut down the event, the organizer answered: “the state served cease and desist papers thats all everyone needs to know.”
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