Rick Walters of WrestlingOnTap.com sent along the following:
Promoter Wages War On Legality Of MMA Fights In Michigan
By Rick Walters 5/1/07
This first section is written by Emily Zangaro
GRAND RAPIDS — A violent sport coming to Grand Rapids came under the state's scrutiny Friday night.
Questions were raised after the United Cage Fighters held events in Saginaw and Muskegon, but promoters continued to schedule events, including a cage fight at the Deltaplex Saturday.
The sport is currently enjoying a growing fan base, but some are questioning its legality. The official term for it is “mixed martial arts” not wrestling or boxing, making it illegal.
According to Michigan's Department of Labor and Economic Growth boxing is the only legal form of fighting in the state. That's why it has been investigating these events and is taking the case to the Attorney General.
After the first two cage fights the state issues a cease and desist order to the event's promoters. Greg Ahrens, a licensed promoter, requested a letter from the state making the law clear before he started holding events.
“Kickboxing, amateur and pro, and other forms of martials are not licensed or regulated in the state of Michigan,” he said.
The letter he received references the Michigan Boxing Act, specifically exempting martial arts sports. But to Ahrens no regulation means that cage combat is legal.
A representative from the state will be at the Deltaplex tomorrow to watch the fights. Despite saying the event is illegal, the state won't shut it down. As for now they will continue to gather evidence for their case. Ahrens has a court case scheduled for June.
The Following is a report that was posted yesterday on Mlive.com by Jayson Bussa of the Grand Rapids Press.
With legal debate still raging, 50 fighters and roughly 4,000 spectators filed into the DeltaPlex for Cage Combat on Saturday night, a mixed-martial arts event put on by United Cage Fighters.
Greg Ahrens, promoter for UCF, was issued a cease and desist order a few months ago, but the amateur event still took place. Ahrens believes these types of events are legal because he said the state government does not regulate kickboxing or martial arts.
The event attracted fighters from across the area, with backgrounds ranging from jujitsu and muay thai, to street fighting. Fighters punched, kicked and grappled their way to victory via knockout, decision or submission.
Matches consisted of three, 3-minute rounds, many ending well before the final bell. Fighters were not paid for their participation and fought in one of several weight classes. A fight doctor also was on hand.
There were 52 pre-registered fighters and several others showed up at the 5 p.m. weigh-in. Only 50 made the cut.
James Tilley, 19, participated in his first mixed-martial arts match. The 5-foot-9, 159-pound grappler out of Newaygo High School said he wanted to try the sport to see how far he could go with it.
“I'm a little nervous and anxious,” Tilley said before his match. “That's a good thing, though, otherwise I'd probably go out and get my butt kicked.”
Tilley said he is aware of the sport's criticisms. He issues skeptics one challenge before they draw conclusions.
“Try it,” he said. “That's all I can say.”
Marcus Ringnalda, 24, of Caledonia, came to Cage Combat not to fight, but to support his brother-in-law Ryan Myers, 24, of Jenison.
Ringnalda said he isn't a mixed-martial arts fan, and didn't know what to expect from the match.
“(When the match started) I got really excited and it was fun to finally see him fight a real match,” Ringnalda said.
Myers won his match in the first round via submission using a naked choke.
This was the 5-10, 152-pound street fighter's first mixed-martial arts event, but he promised it was only the beginning.
“As long as the events are there and the funds are there, I'm going to keep doing this,” Myers said.
Myers also said he realizes to keep his dream alive, he'll need local sanctioned events in Michigan.
“I love Michigan and I will probably never leave,” Myers said. “People have the wrong idea about this (sport). They think it's just a bunch of fighting. They don't realize that, after my match, I hugged my opponent in the locker room.”
Myers drew strong local support as he had an entourage of more than 20 friends and family in attendance. Some family members learned more about him.
“All I know is that I don't want to pick a fight with him at the next holiday,” Ringnalda said.
Ahrens, despite a scheduled court hearing in June, plans to continue UCF events after what he deemed as a successful trip to Grand Rapids.
“Grand Rapids really came out and showed that they need this,” Ahrens said.
He has scheduled events at Cobo Hall in Detroit on May 12 and the Berlin Fair on July 19.
“We're really happy about the way things are going for us,” Ahrens said.
