Good story out of Fall River, MA today about the failure of an effort to ban mixed martial arts in the town. The story began when the Mayor decided he wanted to ban MMA because, well, because he’s the mayor and what is politics if you can’t force your constituents to live by your personal likes and dislikes? So the Mayor doesn’t like MMA and instead of doing what a civilized person would do and ignore it and/or not participate in it he decided to ban it. That was met with a very negative response from trainers and, most interestingly, parents of children who train in MMA. Most of these proposed bans are rationalized as being for “the good of the children”. That’s BS, of course, but it makes for better soundbites than saying that someone in political power has a personal dislike and/or complete ignorance and misunderstanding of it so he’s going to ban it. Yet here are the kids of the parents speaking out in *favor* of MMA!

With Mayor Robert Correia trying to squash a controversial sport the state’s declined to regulate, the City Council Tuesday threw a haymaker on his plans to ban “ultimate fighting.�
After hearing a dozen protesting advocates of what’s loosely called mixed martial arts – from trainers to parents to participants – the council voted a “leave to withdraw� on Correia’s draft ordinance.
Rather than continue discussion within its ordinance committee, the council said, in effect, “we’re not interested.�
“People came from all over the state and their voices were heard,� Correia said, criticizing the council’s action. “I don’t know who spoke for the children of Fall River last night.�
“It appeared that the only option was to totally ban mixed martial arts, and I don’t feel we had any interest in doing that,� said Councilor Cathy Ann Viveiros after proposing not to bring the draft law to their ordinance subcommittee and ask dozens of protesters to return.
Viveiros said she was particularly impressed by parents saying MMA was “working well as an alternative sport,� teaching their children discipline, self-protection and self-respect.
She also felt re-assured the combination of mixed martial arts and “grappling� – which includes submission holds – was safe after hearing youth versions prohibited striking opponents.
“Please don’t bridge the gap between ‘Ultimate Fighting’ and my kids’ program,� Tim Gillett, owner of Gillett’s Mixed Martial Arts and Ultimate Training Academy in Fall River, said.
“At no time in any of these matches have kids under 18 been hit in the head as part of the sport,� Gillett, 37, also a substitute city middle school teacher, told the council.

Mayor Quimby…er…Correia’s response to the outraged parents was pitifully weak, bordering on humorous:

Correia, further criticizing the council, said, “I don’t want Fall River to be known as the ultimate fighting place. We need a public debate.�

This is typical of the myopia suffered by many small towns, but its hilarious. Sure, Mayor, Fall River is going to be known worldwide as “the ultimate fighting place”. Forget Las Vegas, San Jose, Los Angeles, Portland, Montreal, Tokyo, Rio, etc. etc. Should your silly effort to ban a sport you don’t understand fail, Fall River will all of a sudden become the worldwide hotbed of MMA…. Fall River is better known for one of their more nefarious residents, ax murderess Lizzie Borden. I’m surprised that the Mayor hasn’t suggested that Lizzie Borden was influenced by a 19th century forerunner to MMA.

Proposed mixed martial arts ban dealt a blow @ Wicked Local Fall River