| - Marco Antico |
| Copyright© 2007 Canadian Mixed Martial Arts Association (CMMAA). |
Rumble on the Rez Reveals Plans for Ontario, Canada, and the World
by Marco Antico
CanadianMMA caught up with Jack Bateman to speak about the MMA event that took place at
the Six Nations Native Reservation in Canada this past weekend. Bateman was one of the
individuals who helped run the event, while the financing came from a multi-millionaire
business mogul. Bateman is a student of Warrior Martial Arts in Newmarket, Ontario and works
as an electrician during the day although he hopes to one day to become a full-time MMA
promoter.
“My primary concern is fighter safety. We did everything we could to help ensure that,
including blood work (Hep.A, Hep.B and HIV) and an electrocardiogram (EKG). It’s impossible
to get brain scans done quickly here in Ontario, but we’re working on getting this in place for
future events,” explained Bateman.
“We had a ringside doctor, who was amazing, and we even had a guy disqualified for not
passing his medicals. The referee for all the fights was International Fight League fighter,
Wojtek Kaszowski, who did an incredible job. We didn’t allow any booze at the event either.”
All reports from spectators seem to indicate that the show ran very smooth and that the
promoters treated the fighters extremely well.
“Our intention is to run a premier MMA event. Our next show is scheduled for January 26 and
we’re also considering expanding to Calgary, Edmonton and Quebec. Our financier is also
very interested in holding shows overseas in Asia. With the money we have backing us, I don’t
think it would take us long to become the country’s biggest promotion,” Bateman elaborated.
“This show cost us about $100,000 and we pretty much broke even on it. Having already
covered our overhead costs, including lawyer fees, we anticipate that the next show will start
making us money, for sure.”
“There’s only so much we can do right now in Ontario by holding shows on native reserves and
that’s why we’re doing everything we can to legalize the sport here. We hope to follow what
Quebec did by first holding shows on reserves, thus putting pressure on the government to
open it up professionally. We have lawyers on retainers who all concur that what we’re doing is
perfectly legal under section 83 of Canada’s Criminal Code and we’re willing to fight it out in
the courts if necessary.”
Section 83 states that prize fighting is illegal unless it is a boxing contest held under the
authority of an athletic commission whose authority is established by the legislature of a
province.
Bateman’s lawyers are essentially asserting two things. Firstly, that the term boxing
encompasses MMA as supported by the fact that there are other provinces that interpret it as
such. Secondly, the athletic commission formed on the Six Nations Reserve has the authority
to sanction MMA events in the province of Ontario.
“Ken Hayashi (Ontario’s Athletic Commissioner) called the police demanding that they charge
us under section 83. They informed him that he should contact the native police instead. I’m
not sure what the result of that conversation was, but I do know that we have the full support of
the native police. In fact, they were sitting in the front row of the event,” said Bateman
emphatically.
The bottom line for MMA in Ontario seems to be that these shows on Native Reserves will
continue and likely only get bigger and more frequent. While the promoters behind Rumble on
the Rez appear to have upstanding intentions and are being commended on their first show, it
remains to be seen if future promoters now eying the native reserve lands in Ontario will meet
the bar set by this promotion.
For the rest of Ontario, MMA remains in the hands of the Ontario Athletic Commission in
accordance with the Ontario Athletics Control Act. It has been their official position for some
time now that amateur MMA and amendments to Section 83 would have to come before
professional MMA.
Commissioner Ken Hayashi told MMAWeekly in a previous interview that, “there was no way”
these events on native land were going to change anything for the rest of Ontario.
Accordingly, it appears that the rest of Ontario relies on two things: the commencement of
amateur MMA and the amendment of section 83. The Canadian Mixed Martial Arts Association
is a not-for-profit organization working with the Ministry of Health Promotions in an effort to
establish amateur MMA in Ontario.
Section 83 is a federal law, which takes an exorbitant amount of time to amend, although there
is a proposed amendment (initiated six years ago), which is on the federal lawmakers to do list.
In short, professional MMA in Ontario still seems a long way away.
This story is evolving with each passing day. Check back soon as CanadianMMA is working
on two similar articles with very important ramifications for Ontario fighters and promoters!
by Marco Antico
CanadianMMA caught up with Jack Bateman to speak about the MMA event that took place at
the Six Nations Native Reservation in Canada this past weekend. Bateman was one of the
individuals who helped run the event, while the financing came from a multi-millionaire
business mogul. Bateman is a student of Warrior Martial Arts in Newmarket, Ontario and works
as an electrician during the day although he hopes to one day to become a full-time MMA
promoter.
“My primary concern is fighter safety. We did everything we could to help ensure that,
including blood work (Hep.A, Hep.B and HIV) and an electrocardiogram (EKG). It’s impossible
to get brain scans done quickly here in Ontario, but we’re working on getting this in place for
future events,” explained Bateman.
“We had a ringside doctor, who was amazing, and we even had a guy disqualified for not
passing his medicals. The referee for all the fights was International Fight League fighter,
Wojtek Kaszowski, who did an incredible job. We didn’t allow any booze at the event either.”
All reports from spectators seem to indicate that the show ran very smooth and that the
promoters treated the fighters extremely well.
“Our intention is to run a premier MMA event. Our next show is scheduled for January 26 and
we’re also considering expanding to Calgary, Edmonton and Quebec. Our financier is also
very interested in holding shows overseas in Asia. With the money we have backing us, I don’t
think it would take us long to become the country’s biggest promotion,” Bateman elaborated.
“This show cost us about $100,000 and we pretty much broke even on it. Having already
covered our overhead costs, including lawyer fees, we anticipate that the next show will start
making us money, for sure.”
“There’s only so much we can do right now in Ontario by holding shows on native reserves and
that’s why we’re doing everything we can to legalize the sport here. We hope to follow what
Quebec did by first holding shows on reserves, thus putting pressure on the government to
open it up professionally. We have lawyers on retainers who all concur that what we’re doing is
perfectly legal under section 83 of Canada’s Criminal Code and we’re willing to fight it out in
the courts if necessary.”
Section 83 states that prize fighting is illegal unless it is a boxing contest held under the
authority of an athletic commission whose authority is established by the legislature of a
province.
Bateman’s lawyers are essentially asserting two things. Firstly, that the term boxing
encompasses MMA as supported by the fact that there are other provinces that interpret it as
such. Secondly, the athletic commission formed on the Six Nations Reserve has the authority
to sanction MMA events in the province of Ontario.
“Ken Hayashi (Ontario’s Athletic Commissioner) called the police demanding that they charge
us under section 83. They informed him that he should contact the native police instead. I’m
not sure what the result of that conversation was, but I do know that we have the full support of
the native police. In fact, they were sitting in the front row of the event,” said Bateman
emphatically.
The bottom line for MMA in Ontario seems to be that these shows on Native Reserves will
continue and likely only get bigger and more frequent. While the promoters behind Rumble on
the Rez appear to have upstanding intentions and are being commended on their first show, it
remains to be seen if future promoters now eying the native reserve lands in Ontario will meet
the bar set by this promotion.
For the rest of Ontario, MMA remains in the hands of the Ontario Athletic Commission in
accordance with the Ontario Athletics Control Act. It has been their official position for some
time now that amateur MMA and amendments to Section 83 would have to come before
professional MMA.
Commissioner Ken Hayashi told MMAWeekly in a previous interview that, “there was no way”
these events on native land were going to change anything for the rest of Ontario.
Accordingly, it appears that the rest of Ontario relies on two things: the commencement of
amateur MMA and the amendment of section 83. The Canadian Mixed Martial Arts Association
is a not-for-profit organization working with the Ministry of Health Promotions in an effort to
establish amateur MMA in Ontario.
Section 83 is a federal law, which takes an exorbitant amount of time to amend, although there
is a proposed amendment (initiated six years ago), which is on the federal lawmakers to do list.
In short, professional MMA in Ontario still seems a long way away.
This story is evolving with each passing day. Check back soon as CanadianMMA is working
on two similar articles with very important ramifications for Ontario fighters and promoters!
