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Maximum Fighting President
State of the Union Address by Mark Pavelich
MFC President/ Written by MFC Staff
 It’s
amazing in this day and age how many people want to be in the MMA
business and how many non-educated people are promoting the sport of
MMA.
Cities all over the country are forming commissions with members
that don’t know the difference between an armbar and a rear-naked
choke. These commissions can’t fathom why it’s wrong for a guy with
a record of 33-11 fighting a guy who is 0-1, and don’t understand
the mistakes they’re making when they let a veteran with a record of
94-16 fight someone who is 1-3. It’s unmistakeable the dangers this
can cause. Who is going to responsible when the unprepared fighter
is seriously hurt or worse? It’s an embarrassment but even more than
that it is criminally irresponsible.
Most of these ignorant promoters don’t care. To them, it’s about
looking good, wearing the coolest T-shirt and being able to brag at
the after-party about how they “own” an MMA show. I used to think
that it is the fault of these idiots but after really thinking about
it, it is the commissions fault.
See my big problem is that this is the only thing I am good at. I
really love it - I mean really love it. We at the MFC don’t do this
as a hobby or a side business or for a way to play some sort of
role.
This is my business. This is how my family survives. It is our life
and our livelihood.
I’ve spent the last 11 years trying to bring my organization up to
the highest level and run it with very high standards. I truly
believe in the near future that we will see a very serious injury or
death if this continues. You would think that these promoters would
not chance it and screw up but I realized any person who would put
an 0-1 fighter against a 33-11 fighter can’t love the sport of MMA
because the ramifications that will come if that unqualified fighter
got seriously injured would resonate throughout the country (if not
the entire world). And with the recent B.C. Medical Association on
their ridiculous crusade trying to get MMA stopped and Ontario on
its way to getting sanctioned all we need is any slight mishap and
you will see the sport of MMA go down the toilet in Canada – and for
that matter anywhere else where sanctioning is a hot topic such as
New York.
And it’s not just about unscrupulous promoters who don’t know the
first thing about proper matchmaking or care about things like
medicals and insurance.
It’s also about these promoters who get away with putting on shows
by throwing the word “amateur” on a poster and calling themselves
“sanctioned” by some group of guys in a basement somewhere. These
shows, specifically in Saskatchewan, are 100% illegal. Who is going
to take responsibility if and when a young man is seriously injured,
crippled, or killed? There is no sanctioning body, no civic or
provincial commission who commands proper insurance and medical
precautions.
But do your “amateur” show in a dark pavilion or in some sketchy
nightclub and you can get away with it. It won’t be long before you
wreck someone’s life and the sport itself. You don’t love the
fighters and you don’t love the sport. You love a quick buck and
being able to walk around like you’re some kind of celebrity. You
are a ticking time bomb.
I worry every day about things like this and if commissions are not
going to regulate or make sure that these promoters are not allowed
to do these types of matchups, I will write, petition, and hassle
these commissions to start being a proper regulatory body. I want
people to know who is doing right and who is doing wrong. The
question isn’t whether you like me or not. We are bonded by our love
and passion for MMA and even before the Maximum Fighting
Championship what always comes first is the preservation of the
sport of mixed martial arts.
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