CSC meeting decides what is a MMA event in MN

What is the difference between an actual MMA fight that needs to be regulated and what is just sparring?

That difficult subject was debated at this week's Minnesota Combative Sports Commission Meeting in Blaine.

UFC veteran Brock Larson suggested to the commission that any matchup featuring sparring in two different disciplines, be it wrestling, boxing, kickboxing, jiu-jitsu or any of the other martial arts be considered a fight and not sparring.

The debate on what is an MMA fight centers around so-called "smoker" events, which are events held by local MMA gyms that feature "sparring" matches, sometimes with unlicensed judges and refs between gym members in front of an audience.

Representatives from Ambition MMA, a gym in Eagan that has held events like this in the past, argued at the last commission meeting that since they do not charge admission (instead you have to be a gym member or buy a one-week trial membership to the gym to attend) and they consider the matches to only be sparring, it does not fall under the umbrella of the commission. They argued such events also do not need to be regulated.

The commissioners said any event featuring two combatants facing off without pads, where there is a declared winner and a loser, were in fact MMA matches under a different name and that these events needed to be regulated.

Commissioner R.D. Brown stated that they had received requests from some local police departments about similar events, questioning if these events were legal and needed to be regulated. He said that was why the commission was looking into it.

Also on the agenda was a discussion about establishing a set of firm rules to differentiate amateur MMA fights from professional fights. Commissioner Brown said there have been problems recently due to the fact the rules have varied from event to event based on who was promoting the shows.

Local fight promoter Nick Gamst, who puts on many of the shows featuring all amateur fights and features amateur fights on his professional shows, informed the committee that part of the problem is that the rules vary from state to state in the midwest as well. He suggested amateur fights eliminate all striking from elbows and knees. He said this would not only be safer for inexperienced fighters, but it would also make it easier for the fighters and referees to keep straight what kinds of blows are legal and which are not.

The majority of the discussion focused on what to do about amateur fighters who do not make weight. Currently, there are no rules regarding how much difference there can be between fighters if they fall within the same weight class. This means if one fighter shows up at 170 pounds, the cut off for the welterweight division, and his opponent comes in at 156 pounds, the minimum, that is acceptable. Some of the pubic in attendance worried in amateur fights this was too big of a difference and suggested a percentage-based system where there could not be a difference of more than 2-5 percent body weight between amateur fighters. Gamst suggested that maybe there should be more weight classes for amateurs, such as only a 10-pound difference between classes.

After 40 minutes of discussion, Commissioner Pat Fallon made a motion that amateur rules be established as bouts that have three, 3-minute rounds, with no kicking of a downed opponent anywhere on the body, no elbows, and no knees. No changes were made to the current weight classes or in regards to how much weight difference there can be between fighters.

Also, some amateur fights locally allowed a two-fall system where a fighter could tap out, and instead of ending the fight, it would only end the round and the fight would continue after an one-minute rest period. This system allowed amateurs to get more experience and time in the cage, without the risk of staying in a submission attempt too long and risking injury. Fallon's motion said that all amateur fights would now be just one fall.. The motion was moved on and approved on, with Commissioner Craig Gallop voting against.

The meeting opened up with the quick approval of the December 4 boxing event at the Target Center. The main event will feature a 10-round heavyweight bout between Minneapolis boxer Joey Abell (25-4, 24 KO's) vs. Rochester's Raphael Butler (35-8, 28 KO's). The co-main event will be between Duluth's Zach Walters (24-4, 19 KOs) vs. Larry Sharpe (23-7, 11 KOs) out of Pine Falls, Manitoba, in an eight-round light heavyweight matchup. This event is being promoted by Bill Borea, who used to promote and work as a pro wrestler locally under the name Billy Blaze.

Commissioner Brown reported on a meeting last week by the credentialing sub-committee in regards to training of referees and judges for MMA bouts. The committee is working on a proposal which would have officials initially attend a two-hour training course with commission-approved instructors, as well as receive two hours of in-cage instruction. They would then work under the supervision or along with a licensed official for 50 amateur bouts and have to pass an exam before being giving a full license. The commission would require officials to attend the training seminar every two years as a refresher. Brown said that the sub-committee would meet again soon to finalize their proposal before brining it to the full commission.

Also, the commission will be informing the public in the coming weeks of the official's pay scale that was passed at the last commission meeting. The new fees scale will be going into effect on January 1, 2010. Currently there is no set fee for judges, referees or timekeepers and it can vary from event to event.

Commissioners present at the October meeting were: Executive Director Scott Ledoux, Commissioners Bob Dolan, R.D. Brown, Gary Brintnall, Michelle Gravenish, Bob Stein, Matthew Henderson, Pat Fallon and Craig Gallop.