Lift the Ban Watch

by Luke Thomas on Sep 5, 2007 9:43 AM EDT in MMA News

The British Medical Association, which has campaigned since 1982 for a ban on boxing, has now turned its attention to extreme mixed martial arts.

Doctors are not calling for a ban on sports such as karate, but instead want to see the end of "brutal" events like cage fighting.

...

Dr Vivienne Nathanson, head of science and ethics at the BMA, said: "Ultimate fighting can be extremely brutal and has been described as 'human cockfighting'. It can cause traumatic brain injury, joint injuries and fractures.

"This kind of competition hardly constitutes a sport - the days of gladiator fights are over and we should not be looking to resurrect them.

"As doctors we cannot stand by while violent fighting tournaments are allowed to take place.

"Large amounts of money can be earned by participants, promoters and others linked to ultimate fighting, but no amount of money can compensate for permanent brain damage and premature death.

"As a civilised society we should be campaigning to outlaw these activities."

Nothing new here and at least they're going after boxing just as much as they are MMA. Still, I am perpetually worried one of these localized movements among "concerned" groups is going to catch fire and cause the sport a great deal of trouble. Let's hope Dana White can steamroll the European marketplace before they know what hit them.

HT: Fight Opinion

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