Ultimate Fighting Wins Kid Converts

Kids As Young As Six Are Participating In Pugilistic Sport With Their Parents' Approval

(AP)  Ultimate fighting was once the sole domain of burly men who beat each other bloody in anything-goes brawls.

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.

The sport, which is also known as cage fighting, has already spread far beyond cable television. Last month, CBS became the first of the Big Four U.S. television networks to announce a deal to broadcast primetime fights. The fights have attracted such a wide audience, they are threatening to surpass boxing as America's most popular pugilistic sport.

Hand-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."

[cbsguest6]

I''d rather make love to a woman than kill a man...

[hungry1968]

I''''d rather make love to a woman than kill a man...

Posted by cbsguest6 at 09:40 AM : Mar 27, 2008





Doesn''t that depend on the who the man is and how the woman looks?

[thisandthat1]

There should be a law banned to ban this in all 50 states. Period!

[thisandthat1]

Got ahead of myself ...I meant "a law passed" ....sorry

[cbsguest6]

hungry1968 says:
"Doesn''''t that depend on the who the man is and how the woman looks?"

As far as I''m concerned, in general no.

[oldone60]

I grew up playing Little League and my kids played soccer for many years. This ain''t Little League or youth soccer either!

This is just some more evidence of the coarsening and increased brutalization of our society. Sad.

[questionnews]

There should be a law banned to ban this in all 50 states. Period!

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.

[eggy1620]

Redneck see, Redneck do.

[ajayvee]

Training that might eventually come in handy in our expected 100-year war in Iraq.

[abakerworld]

Kids fighting within reason and under supervision? there is nothing wrong with that. I used to back yard brawl with all of my friends when i was younger and even into my late teens i still did it. It''s not like we were fighting for real; throwing fists at eachothers faces but we would get some body shots in once in a while. And as far as boxing and wrestling go, thats basically what MMA is, both of them mixed with a few extra legal moves. I see nothing wrong with it.

[kaviz]

I can just see this as a great excuse for child abusers. "I was just helping him train for his next fight. I didn''t realize he was unconsious. I just thought he was being weak, so I kept on hitting him".

[johnstossel]

Hurry, call Michael Vick!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[questionnews]

I can just see this as a great excuse for child abusers. "I was just helping him train for his next fight. I didn''''t realize he was unconsious. I just thought he was being weak, so I kept on hitting him".

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.

[rudy654-2009]

"But the mixed martial art sport often derided as "human cockfighting" is branching out."

This should be considered child abuse, just as it is considered human cruelty to use animals for such "sport."

[gwagener]

So I was having dinner at a restraunt/sports bar and ultimate fighting was on several of the TVs. The sound was down on the TVs. At first, I didn''t know what I was watching. There were two muscular young men, one behind the other pictured from the top half, so I saw no cloths. The man behind was thrusting forward over and over. OMG! Is this gay porn? Then the man in front hits the man beind in the face. OMG! Is this S&M gay porn? Then the camera zooms out and I see that it was ultimate fighting.
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.

[nycsense]

It doesn''t surprise me that this is going on in the MidWest...which is chock-full of redneck retards who think this is perfectly acceptable. I am a man who grew up in a rough neighborhood in New York City, where you basically had to fight to survive living there. If you didn''t fight, you would be branded a "punk" and you would be subject to relentless bullying from everyone else. I fought out of neccesity. Now, I can''t even watch the ultimate fighting matches because it reminds me too much of what I witnessed growing up. This is not a "sport", this is barbarism, and anyone thinking anything different should have their head examined, or at least question their morality. I don''t need a doctor to tell me that a 6 year old''s body will not be able to withstand that level of punishment without some lasting injuries. The parents who allow this should have their children taken away from them and be psychologically evaluated by social services. If you want to teach your children to defend themselves, then place them in a martial arts school. There they will learn self defence and self discipline. Fight only when you have to, not to entertain others. This country is filled with friggin retards.

[mythoughtsr]

Anyone who allows their child to participate in this sport should have their parental rights examined. The people who allow this sport to exist should be fired. I don''t care how much protection they are wearing, how much they want to call it a sport, this is a white trash, redneck joke. No one takes it seriously but then again, the people who are involved in this probably watch the WWE and think that''s real too.

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.

[smendicino]

I have two boys 10 and 8 that started Martial Arts class. The school they go to does not allow contact to the head. There is no wrestling on the floor and they only score if they make contact on the center midsection pad. A student can lose points if they are too aggressive in a match. The higher belt students help the lower belt students with their forms. They are not allowed to practice on any brothers or sisters. When they practice, they practice their form ( Kata). Their teacher is a sixth degree black belt in the evening. During the day he works in the sports rehap department in the hospital so he is always telling the children how to be careful. As a parent you have to be careful what school you go to. I picked this school because I wanted the my boys to see it as an art form and to learn discipline. With a good teacher the children treat each other with respect. It can be a good sport. It all depends on how it is taught.

[questionnews]

NYCSense

What about boxing or olympic wrestling?? Boxing is more dangerous than MMA.

[gkc99]

There''s a missed opportunity here--training kids 6 and up how to fight with knives and swords. That could come in very handy for self-defense.

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.

[easeup-2009]

"It doesn''''t surprise me that this is going on in the MidWest...which is chock-full of redneck retards who think this is perfectly acceptable."

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.

[nycsense]

"NYCSense

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.

[samrensho]

If they start at 6 they''ll be fully trained for Iraq when they''re 18. Way to go parents.

[questionnews]

"NYCSense

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.

[nycsense]

"Thanks for reminding everyone why the rest of the country thinks New Yorkers are self-important A-holes."

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!

[gunownerdan]

It is very important for people to know how to defend themselves these days, but ultimate fighting for kids?
That''s a bit much in my opinion.
Take some karate lessons or go to the shooting range with grandpa.

[dredre2k]

Ultimate Fighting reminds me of Rome''s gladiator matches... we''re almost there. In a few years, people will get bored of seeing people fight... and will want them to fight to the death.

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.

[nycsense]

Questionnews,

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?

[bobnjersey]

wow ... talk about different strokes for different folks!

[gunownerdan]

Ultimate Fighting reminds me of Rome''s gladiator matches... we''re almost there. In a few years, people will get bored of seeing people fight... and will want them to fight to the death.....part of the signs of a decaying empire I think.
Posted by dredre2k

Unfortunately I think you are very correct.
The movie "IDIOCRACY" is a pretty good film that explains it in better detail.

[neoconslayer]

I think gunownerdan is correct.
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.

[questionnews]

what exactly is the stradegy when pummling an opponent into unconsiousness? Understand the difference?

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.

[mjm117]

Would I put my child in MMA, probably not. But I think it''s funny that so many others are so quick to pass judgement while they drive their kids to other sudo dangerous activities. With the correct trainer I imagine these kids can come away with some of the same respects tought by karate and no one seems to complain about that.

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.

[easeup-2009]

"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!

Posted by NYCSense at 12:22 PM : Mar 27, 2008"

I think you did a great job in supporting my last post. Bravo.

[mjm117]

People, MMA is mixed martial arts. NOT BARBARIAN FIGHTING. If you watched 5 minutes of it, you would see the gracefulnes in the fighting styles. It''s no less brutal then boxing. In fact, you could say these adult fighters are more trained. They can step into a ring and disply karate, jujitsu, boxing, etc.

[usbrit-2009]

Stupid, stupid, stupid. Bet all these guys are family values, god-fearing repugs. It''s interesting; you play basketball or soccer professionally and one drop of blood you''re off until it''s cleaned up and a new shirt put on. Seems like any time I channel surf through an ultimate fighting show, there''s blood everywhere. Can''t see any reason to subject a 6-year-old to even watching this let alone partaking in it.

[usbrit-2009]

People, MMA is mixed martial arts. NOT BARBARIAN FIGHTING. If you watched 5 minutes of it, you would see the gracefulnes in the fighting styles. It''''s no less brutal then boxing. In fact, you could say these adult fighters are more trained. They can step into a ring and disply karate, jujitsu, boxing, etc.

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.

[andrew0120]

After reading all of these posts, I really don''t think most of you have ever watched an mma match. It is a great sport and since the sports beginning there have been no serious injuries. Yes there have been cuts and some broken bones, but that number is substantially less than most other sports. Soccer''s is one of the highest of any sport. Mixed Martial Arts is just that. The most functional techniques from various arts such as boxing, wrestling, jujitsu, and kick boxing are incorporated to prepare a fighter for any situation. I think this is a great sport for kids to learn. They learn about self defense (the same as karate), fitness, and detication. And for all those who think that people killing eachother for sport is the next step are just ridiculous. MMA has become less violent as it has become more regulated and more main stream. It is a great sport and these are world class atheletes that compete. There are MANY great roll models for kids. There is a much higher percentage of good roll models for kids than say the NFL or NBA among other sports.

[mjm117]

By the way, not all MMA is fought in a "cage".

God fearing? Not me

[freckster]

One step forward and two steps back.

How many of these parents have a healthy set of (natural) teeth?

[mjm117]

Toothless parents who support MMA or high class white collar government types who pick up hookers?

[andrew0120]

Just FYI for everyone, MMA fighters come from all walks of life. Most are college educated and a few in the UFC have PhDs.

[dirtyduzzin]

The last thing we need in 2008 is to teach our already obsessed and de-sensitized children to fight for fun. Most children don''t understand how to control their anger. So teaching them that fighting is o.k. is not going to help these kids. It may seem cool at first, but when some of these kids turn out to be less than ideal citizens, do you really want people that have been honing these fighting skills for years running the streets kicking people''s *****?

[leftyintexas]

I''ll bet anyone here that ALL the dads are bushies. One one care to bet?

[mjm117]

"The last thing we need in 2008 is to teach our already obsessed and de-sensitized children to fight for fun. Most children don''''t understand how to control their anger. So teaching them that fighting is o.k. is not going to help these kids. It may seem cool at first, but when some of these kids turn out to be less than ideal citizens, do you really want people that have been honing these fighting skills for years running the streets kicking people''''s *****? "

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

[bobnjersey]

[Toothless parents who support MMA or high class white collar government types who pick up hookers?]
[Posted by mjm117 at 01:15 PM : Mar 27, 2008]

she wasn''t a hooker ... she was a singer working as an escort!

[questionnews]

Stupid, stupid, stupid. Bet all these guys are family values, god-fearing repugs. It''''s interesting; you play basketball or soccer professionally and one drop of blood you''''re off until it''''s cleaned up and a new shirt put on. Seems like any time I channel surf through an ultimate fighting show, there''''s blood everywhere. Can''''t see any reason to subject a 6-year-old to even watching this let alone partaking in it.

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)

[andrew0120]

So many people pass judgement on so little information. Whatever happened to studying a topic before you make your decision. If you are completely informed about this sport and you still feel teh way you do that is great, but at least take the time to make an informed decision.

[mjm117]

"So many people pass judgement on so little information. Whatever happened to studying a topic before you make your decision. If you are completely informed about this sport and you still feel teh way you do that is great, but at least take the time to make an informed decision. "



Agreed 100%

[usbrit-2009]

What information do you need - two guys (sometimes) in a cage beating the *** out of each other. Maybe I''m misjudging the newer, cleaner ulitimate fighting, the one with rules, but what they still put on Spike looks pretty *** brutal to me. Andrew - I''d sure like to see a flyer where Dr. Brutus O''Slugger is up against Fred "the Masher" Gormless, Ph.D.