Ultimate Fighting Wins Kid Converts
Kids As Young As Six Are Participating In Pugilistic Sport With Their Parents' Approval
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Eli Lindsey, eight, top, spars with Gage Bloomer, eight, during practice at Garage Boys Fight Crew in Carthage, Mo, on Wednesday, March 5, 2008. Lindsey and Bloomer train at the facility in southwest Missouri for ultimate fighting events. (AP Photo/Mike Gullett)
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Skyler Bloomer, 11, does chin-ups during a training session at Garage Boys Fight Crew in Carthage, Mo, on Wednesday, March 5, 2008. Bloomer and several other kids are training to compete in ultimate fighting tournaments. (AP Photo/Mike Gullett)
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But the mixed martial art sport often derided as "human cockfighting" is branching out.
The bare-knuckle fights are now attracting competitors as young as 6 whose parents treat the sport as casually as wrestling or soccer.
The changes were evident on a recent evening in southwest Missouri, where a team of several young boys and one girl grappled on gym mats in a converted garage.
Two members of the group called the "Garage Boys Fight Crew" touched their thin martial-arts gloves in a flash of sportsmanship before beginning a relentless exchange of sucker punches, body blows and swift kicks.
No blood was shed. And both competitors wore protective gear. But the bout reflected the decidedly younger face of ultimate fighting. The trend alarms medical experts and sports officials who worry that young bodies cannot withstand the pounding.
Tommy Bloomer, father of two of the "Garage Boys," does not understand the fuss.
"We're not training them for dog fighting," said Bloomer, a 34-year-old construction contractor. "As a parent, I'd much rather have my kids here learning how to defend themselves and getting positive reinforcement than out on the streets."
Bloomer said the sport has evolved since the no-holds-barred days by adding weight classes to better match opponents and banning moves such as strikes to the back of the neck and head, groin kicking and head butting.
Missouri appears to be the only state in the nation that explicitly allows the youth fights. In many states, it is a misdemeanor for children to participate. A few states have no regulations.
Supporters of the sport acknowledge that allowing fights between kids sounds brutal at first. But they insist the competitions have plenty of safety rules.
"It looks violent until you realize this teaches discipline. One of the first rules they learn is that this is not for aggressive behavior outside (the ring)," said Larry Swinehart, a Joplin police officer and father of two boys and the lone girl in the garage group.
When they get out of the cage, they go back and play video games together. It doesn't matter who won and who lost. They're still little buddies.
Tommy Bloomer, fatherHand-to-hand combat is also popping up on the big screen. The film "Never Back Down," described as "The Karate Kid" for the YouTube generation, has taken in almost $17 million in two weeks at the box office. Another current mixed martial arts movie, "Flash Point," an import from Hong Kong, is in limited release.
Bloomer said the fights are no more dangerous or violent than youth wrestling. He watched as his sons, 11-year-old Skyler and 8-year-old Gage, locked arms and legs and wrestled to the ground with other kids in the garage in Carthage, about 135 miles south of Kansas City.
The 11 boys and one girl on the team range from 6 to 14 years old and are trained by Rudy Lindsey, a youth wrestling coach and a professional mixed martial arts heavyweight.
"The kids learn respect and how to defend themselves. It's no more dangerous than any other sport and probably less so than some," Lindsey said.
Lindsey said the children wear protective headgear, shin guards, groin protection and martial-arts gloves. They fight quick, two-minute bouts. Rules also prohibit any elbow blows and blows to the head when an opponent is on the ground.
In most states, mixed martial arts is overseen by boxing commissions. In Missouri, the Office of Athletics regulates the professional fights but not the amateur events, which include the youth bouts. For amateurs, the regulation is done by sanctioning bodies that have to register with the athletics office.
The rules are different in Oklahoma, where unauthorized fights are generally a misdemeanor offense. The penalty is a maximum 30 days in jail and a fine up to $1,000.
Joe Miller, administrator of the Oklahoma Professional Boxing Commission, said youth fights are banned in his state, and he wants it to stay that way.
"There's too much potential for damage to growing joints," he said.
Miller said mixed martial arts uses a lot of arm and leg twisting to force opponents into submission. Those moves, he said, pressure joints in a way not found in sanctioned sports like youth boxing or wrestling.
Back in the Missouri garage, Bloomer said parents should not worry about kids becoming aggressive from learning mixed martial arts. He said his older son was picked on by bullies at school repeatedly last year but never fought them, instead reporting the problem to his teachers.
And fighters including his 8-year-old son get along once a bout is over, Bloomer said.
"When they get out of the cage, they go back and play video games together. It doesn't matter who won and who lost. They're still little buddies."
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See all 68 CommentsPosted by cbsguest6 at 09:40 AM : Mar 27, 2008
Doesn''t that depend on the who the man is and how the woman looks?
"Doesn''''t that depend on the who the man is and how the woman looks?"
As far as I''m concerned, in general no.
This is just some more evidence of the coarsening and increased brutalization of our society. Sad.
Posted by thisandthat1 at 10:07 AM : Mar 27, 2008
If you want it banned because of the risk of someone getting hurt, then you had better ban football too. By every statistic football is far more dangerous than MMA. Each year dozens of players are seriously hurt or even paralyzed (and even a few deaths) playing football. Take special teams plays for example. Two guys running at top speed collide in what could be described as running 20 to 25 mph into a brick wall. If it''s because you don''t like the sport then don''t watch.
Posted by kaviz at 11:21 AM : Mar 27, 2008
Having flash backs?? I can sympathize with you. My little sister was pretty tough gal too.
This should be considered child abuse, just as it is considered human cruelty to use animals for such "sport."
Ultimate fighting is the gayest "sport" around, beating out body building hands down.
Teenagers getting into ultimate fighting is a good strategy for letting closeted gay teens hook up.
As for closeted gay men, I suppose it lets them pretend that the wood is from the hot girls who carry the signs with the round number.
When "parents" in this country start actually parenting their children instead of dumping them into day care so they can work to buy their mansions and feed their hummers and actually spend time with their kids (you might need to look this concept up in history) and do quality things with them, not send them into a ring to do a death match, then perhaps the children in this society might grow up to actually contribute something other than numbers on the welfare and prison rosters. What a joke this is.
What about boxing or olympic wrestling?? Boxing is more dangerous than MMA.
For example, you could have knife fights with full protective gear where the kids only use blunted Bowie knives or Arkansas toothpicks on each other.
Posted by NYCSense at 11:53 AM : Mar 27, 2008
Thanks for reminding everyone why the rest of the country thinks New Yorkers are self-important A-holes.
What about boxing or olympic wrestling?? Boxing is more dangerous than MMA."
These events that you mention are competitions for young adults to compete in with rules of engagement. In wrestling the goal is to pin your opponent to the mat, then the match is over, and not beat his face in once you have him pinned. I don''t have a problem with sports, but what they are doing here is not a sport. Just as ultimate fighting competition is not a sport. It''s an excuse for people to watch others pummle each other for entertainment. Especially children, NOT the same thing at all.
What about boxing or olympic wrestling?? Boxing is more dangerous than MMA."
These events that you mention are competitions for young adults to compete in with rules of engagement. In wrestling the goal is to pin your opponent to the mat, then the match is over, and not beat his face in once you have him pinned. I don''''t have a problem with sports, but what they are doing here is not a sport. Just as ultimate fighting competition is not a sport. It''''s an excuse for people to watch others pummle each other for entertainment. Especially children, NOT the same thing at all.
Posted by NYCSense at 12:08 PM : Mar 27, 2008
Boxing is all about beating someone''s face in. MMA is a combination of wrestling & boxing. And there''s hockey where two guys are allowed to pummel each other while the refs sit back and watch. If the issue you have is that men should not hit each other then there would be very few sports left. Although I do agree that young kids should be carefully watched & restricted from the more risky maneuvers.
I started wrestling at 11 years old & continued throughout high school. During that time I had a broken nose, califlower ear, broken rib, hyper extended knee and 3 broken fingers and I don''t think I was any different that any person who participated in wrestling.
Posted by easeup
But am I wrong on this assessment? There are plenty of idiots here too. But, I''ve been to the Mid West, and the things that parents let thier kids do is baffling. For example, ride mini-dirtbikes and ATVs in competitions. Also, giving their kids hunting rifles and having them "hunt" a 500 pound boar. I mean is life so supremely boring for the parents that they allow their children to participate in ultra-dangerous activities? It''s not that I think of myself self important, its that Mid Westerners are acceptionally stupid!
That''s a bit much in my opinion.
Take some karate lessons or go to the shooting range with grandpa.
America already has an emporer (in Bush)and a massive military at war and w/ bases all over the world. now we''re allowing gladiator matches?... all the stuff that contributed to Rome''s demise. All part of the signs of a decaying empire I think.
There are RULES to every sport! Did you even read my post? In Boxing, the fighter is NOT allowed to continue pummling his opponent while he''s down. You started wrestling when you where 11, not 6, and all those injuries that you recieved weren''t intentional, they were things that could happen to you. I''m sure there were wrestling moves and strategies that your coach taught you. What exactly is the stradegy when pummling an opponent into unconsiousness? Understand the difference?
Posted by dredre2k
Unfortunately I think you are very correct.
The movie "IDIOCRACY" is a pretty good film that explains it in better detail.
I don''t think that ultimate fighting is a form of martial arts in the sense that aikido or karate or kung fu is.
Those ''arts'' have a lot of grace behind the power.
Ultimate fighting is about unbridled aggression.
I think that is what kids need.
Forget Quai Chang-Kane from the old Kung Fu series catching arrows out of the air, disarming gunmen, and generally embarrassing people with his superior skill.
Get ready for the infliction of sufficient physical pain / permanent damage until your opponent caves in.
Posted by NYCSense at 12:43 PM : Mar 27, 2008
I have seen far more boxers pummled into unconsiousness than MMA fighters. There are rules in MMA and the refs stop the fight at the first sight that fighters cannot defend themselves and usually long before anyone becomes unconsious. It doesn''t appear that you have much knowledge of or watched much MMA.
If you don''t like it, don''t put your kids in it. If you don''t like video games, don''t let your kids play. If you don''t like TV, don''t let them watch it.
Point is, parent your children and yours alone. Once your kids walks on water, then feel free to judge others.
Posted by NYCSense at 12:22 PM : Mar 27, 2008"
I think you did a great job in supporting my last post. Bravo.
Posted by mjm117
Just the fact they keep these guys in cages should gibe you some idea about the barbarism. No judo, karate and to some extent boxing are arts - this is just plain brutality.
God fearing? Not me
How many of these parents have a healthy set of (natural) teeth?
Okay, let''s just let them look up to Bush and our other fearless leaders. Maybe they can learn to murder just as well and/or the proper way to pick up a high class working gal. Or they can learn to eat too much McDonalds and become fat like the rest of America. Or they can go buy a gun and shoot up a school.
Do you really think teaching a kid martial arts is the problem. Think it through now...there are much worse issues out there
[Posted by mjm117 at 01:15 PM : Mar 27, 2008]
she wasn''t a hooker ... she was a singer working as an escort!
Posted by USBrit at 01:06 PM : Mar 27, 2008
There quite a few MMA studios here in the Portland area. The one in Gresham has an Obama poster on the front of it so please think reasonably & not try to tie your political leanings to an issue that has nothing to do with politics. (I know that will be hard for some)
Agreed 100%
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