Senator Wades Through Confusion Over Mass. MMA Bill
Jack Encarnacao May 28, 2008
A Massachusetts state senator who has authored legislation to
regulate mixed martial arts in the state is defending the proposal
against claims that it would ban the sport in any way.
Matthew Moran, chief of staff for Sen. James Timilty, told Sherdog.com that a misperception that the sport would be banned started with a news service that characterized Timilty's bill as "banning" the sport until the state boxing commission promulgates rules around the sport. Other news outlets in the state picked up that characterization after Timilty introduced his proposal on the senate floor last week.
"There's no ban language," Moran said Wednesday. "It was a
mischaracterization."
The bill would add the sport to the auspices of the state boxing commission and add a board member with a background in mixed martial arts. If it passes, fights will continue in the state as they have for years while the boxing commission creates its rules and regulations. If it doesn't pass, the events would still continue to take place unless some other proposal is made.
Timilty has argued MMA should be regulated because there are children training in it and because fighters, referees and ringside physicians are not currently licensed by the state. He has used that argument to push that the legislation needs to be acted on now, even though the senate is knee-deep in discussions of the state budget.
"The senator wanted to emphasize the time-sensitive nature of moving forward," Moran said of Timilty's comments, in which he's referred to the current MMA landscape in the state, where promoters police themselves, as "the wild west."
Some in the Massachusetts fight community have already begun to rally against Timilty because of the perception he is trying to ban the sport and is badmouthing it. Moran said Timilty is a fan of the UFC, and was watching fights just last night on Spike TV.
"You couldn't find a guy who's more on their side," Moran said.
The bill, which is in a conference committee and should be voted by July 1, has run into no public legislative opposition. The push is likely near and dear to UFC President Dana White, who once lived in Boston and ran a boxing gym there. Zuffa LLC has hired a lobbying firm to push regulation of the sport at the Massachusetts State House.
Matthew Moran, chief of staff for Sen. James Timilty, told Sherdog.com that a misperception that the sport would be banned started with a news service that characterized Timilty's bill as "banning" the sport until the state boxing commission promulgates rules around the sport. Other news outlets in the state picked up that characterization after Timilty introduced his proposal on the senate floor last week.
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The bill would add the sport to the auspices of the state boxing commission and add a board member with a background in mixed martial arts. If it passes, fights will continue in the state as they have for years while the boxing commission creates its rules and regulations. If it doesn't pass, the events would still continue to take place unless some other proposal is made.
Timilty has argued MMA should be regulated because there are children training in it and because fighters, referees and ringside physicians are not currently licensed by the state. He has used that argument to push that the legislation needs to be acted on now, even though the senate is knee-deep in discussions of the state budget.
"The senator wanted to emphasize the time-sensitive nature of moving forward," Moran said of Timilty's comments, in which he's referred to the current MMA landscape in the state, where promoters police themselves, as "the wild west."
Some in the Massachusetts fight community have already begun to rally against Timilty because of the perception he is trying to ban the sport and is badmouthing it. Moran said Timilty is a fan of the UFC, and was watching fights just last night on Spike TV.
"You couldn't find a guy who's more on their side," Moran said.
The bill, which is in a conference committee and should be voted by July 1, has run into no public legislative opposition. The push is likely near and dear to UFC President Dana White, who once lived in Boston and ran a boxing gym there. Zuffa LLC has hired a lobbying firm to push regulation of the sport at the Massachusetts State House.
