Georgia Legitimizes Mma Competition
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Georgia Legitimizes MMA Competition MMA Gains Respect on the East Coast By Cal Cooper In what has been a banner year for the sport of Mixed Martial Arts, Georgia has become the latest source for good news. On 4-26-01 Governor Roy Barnes signed into law a bill (HB 538) which, in part, makes provisions for legitimate, legally operated MMA events. Georgia has previously been a back-and-forth battleground state for the acceptance of the misunderstood sport, and in fact this bill as it was originally introduced would have banned MMA altogether. Fortunately, due to the efforts of MMA supporters in the state, legislators were contacted and changes were made to HB 538 which will allow legitimate events to proceed if they are sanctioned by the International Sport Combat Federation (ISCF), a mixed martial arts sanctioning body. ISCF is also a "sister organization" of the reputable kickboxing sanctioning body, International Kickboxing Federation (IKF). Effectively, this will allow Mixed Martial Arts promotions to operate in Georgia legally, as long as they are sanctioned or co-sanctioned with the ISCF. This is great news for Georgia and the entire sport of MMA. Georgia’s war over MMA fighting dates back to UFC XIII, which was held in Augusta, Georgia in 1997. At that time a published Georgia Attorney General’s Opinion took the position that "ultimate fighting" would fall under the state Boxing Commission’s authority, though this was not expressly enumerated in Georgia law. When UFC’s parent company SEG did not apply for a license from the state Boxing Commission to promote UFC XIII, the A.G.’s office tried to enjoin the event, and prevent it completely, just days before the broadcast was set to begin. Balancing the relative harm to the two parties and determining that it would be inequitable to stop the event, the Superior Court in Augusta ruled that the event could go forward as scheduled. That ruling let UFC XIII come off as promised, but the issue of whether the Georgia Boxing Commission could exert authority over MMA in the Peach State, was still unresolved. Click here to continue the article… |
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MECA World Vale Tudo 5 Results By Eduardo Alonso The 5th edition of the MECA World Vale Tudo couldn’t have been better. With a close to sell out crowd, and plenty of action, MECA 5 lived up to the hype. All the fights were exciting, with knockouts, submissions and ref. stoppages. It was an event designed to please the fighting fan, and it sure did. Chute Boxe rising star Anderson Silva once again showed why he is making a name for himself in Japan, with another solid win against Israel Albuquerque. Murilo Ninja and Assuério, also from Chute Boxe, showed that they know how to deal with tough situations, and fought back to win in great fashion. One of the biggest surprises of the night was Brazilian Top Team member Fabio Mello. Fabio showed a lot of composure for a newcomer, and won a very tough fight, doing a good job in both, the stand-up and the ground game. Overall it was a great event, with some exciting fights, and we will bring full coverage of MECA 5 in the July issue of FCF! Don’t miss it! Here are the complete results from the event:
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