USA TODAY International Edition
MMA CAUSES STIR IN AUSTRALIA
Rousey defends sport as critics decry violence
Ronda Rousey has been caught up in a simmering controversy regarding the violent nature of mixed martial arts, with Australian politicians and child protection groups saying minors should be banned from attending UFC 193 this weekend.
Rousey’s huge popularity has spread Down Under, with a crowd of up to 70,000 expected at Etihad Stadium on Saturday when she battles Holly Holm.
But the sport is not without its detractors in these parts.
The discussion of whether legislation should be passed to forbid youngsters at MMA events has reached the state government level, while a leading children’s charity has said exposing kids to live fights could even constitute child abuse under existing laws in the state of Victoria, of which Melbourne is the capital.
That prompted Rousey to speak in defense of MMA in an interview with a Melbourne television station Tuesday, although her description of the sport somewhat stretched the bounds of reality.
“I don’t believe it is violent at all,” Rousey told Channel 7 News. “I believe it is called martial arts for a reason. It is an art.
“It might look a little graphic; it doesn’t actually mean it is that dangerous. Most of the injuries in the sport are actually cosmetic.”
Rousey is hardly likely to say anything negative about the discipline that has helped turn her into an international superstar and provided her with a ticket to fame and fortune, yet insisting MMA is not violent is unlikely to sway detractors.
Tom Wright, executive vice president of the UFC’s international operations, said he thought Rousey’s views stemmed from her time in judo, where she com- peted in two Olympic Games and won a medal in Beijing in 2008.
“For her, ( fighting) is an opportunity for her to demonstrate her skills in a safe environment,” Wright told USA TODAY Sports. “That’s why she doesn’t think it is violent.”
Australia is an important expansion market for the UFC, and, despite the criticism, it has established a strong base of support.
Yet critics have been undeterred. Phil West, co- founder of the Alannah and Madeline Foun- dation, a prominent Australia child safety group, highlighted the infamous incident involving the UFC’s Leslie Smith last year, when a punch from rival Jessica Eye caused Smith’s left cauliflower ear to explode, sending a stream of blood shooting into the air and the fighter’s ear dangling from her head.
“It is brutal and savage,” West said. “( MMA) involves extreme violence, hitting people in the face while sitting on their torso.”
West also wrote an open letter to Victoria’s premier, insisting the issue was about protecting children and upholding safety laws.
While the Victorian government clarified that there would be no restrictions placed on children watching the fight card highlighted by Rousey’s bout with Holm, others waded into the debate.
“I am yet again staggered by the fact that this brutality on show, which features people locked in cages, gouging, punching, kicking and spitting, allows children in as paying witnesses,” Bernie Geary, leader of the government- affiliated Commission for Children and Young People, told reporters.
MMA has faced challenges in gaining acceptance in this part of Australia, and this event was only made possible by a shift in legislation at the start of the year.
Previously, while MMA was allowed in Victoria, the cage positioned around the octagon was not, with Australian medical chiefs casting doubts about the fence’s safety and police officials insisting its use sent a negative message to children about violence.
John Eren, sports minister for the Labor Party government, ordered the ban to be lifted when his party came into power and has been a supporter of this weekend’s event.
For the UFC, the opposition is merely part of the process of growth and mirrors similar experiences in the USA and Canada in the formative years of the organization.
“It is an educational process,” Wright said. “When you are a young, emerging, growing sport, you are often misunderstood.”