Most kids fight. In the car. At the park. On the trampoline. And they fight over everything.
This is normal. (Yes, breathe. Your brawling kids are pretty normal).
But you know what isn’t normal? When fighting kids are thrown in a ring and their parents cheer them on.
Cage fighting for kids is the latest controversial sport playing out in America and it’s gathering momentum. Last night, Channel 7’s Sunday Night aired a story about junior mixed martial arts (MMA) events for kids as young as six. The ring is on a site in California that is situated on Indian reservation so it isn’t subject to Californian Law – under which, it would be completely illegal.
Like it is in most US states.
And in Australia.
For most, this little loophole is terrifying, unfair, brutal and sad. Some even argue that it’s simply child abuse.
But the most terrifying part is that there are parents who are up for it. Take a look.
Apparently, we should be comforted to know that there are rules and ‘boundaries’ like no kicking or punching above the collarbone and that opponents are determined by weight, not gender. (But strangling is allowed. Huh?).
David Bramlette’s son, Mason “The Beast” has been fighting since he was diagnosed with ADHD. His Dad thinks it’s the best thing for him, “I just don’t feel football is safe for a kid, I just I don’t.”
New York photographer Sebastian Montalvo has taken photos of the kids mid-action. He says, “they’re mega-competitive… They love their kids 100 per cent and they just want them to win. A lot of these MMA parents want their kids to go pro someday. They want them to earn million-dollar paychecks.”
And it’s big business. The Ultimate Fighting Champion (UFC) movement has evolved into a $3 billion dollar industry. Kids cage-fighting is riding on the coat tails. UFC boss Dana White bought the Californian business for $2 million in 2001. He is convinced fighting is a primal urge and that he simply provides a venue for it.
White told Sunday Night, “it’s in our DNA. You put two babies on the floor, right. You’ll see this all the time. One baby will take the other babie’s thing, the baby smacks the other baby, the baby wants his thing back.”
A few months ago, Mamamia parenting editor Bern Morley wrote about this very thing:
These children are practising an “art” called Pankration, an ancient and violent Greek fighting style that allows for everything but blows to the head.
Advocates for the practise say the kids are taught principles of losing fair and winning well, and the techniques of having fun and staying in shape.
ARE. YOU. FUCKING. KIDDING. ME.
I don’t know about you, but to me, this is kiddie cage fighting dressed up as a legitimate sport.
I am ALL for children learning a martial art, to defend themselves, to learn self-discipline and to learn how to win AND lose with grace but I’m sorry, to let them fight one another for nothing other than what is essentially a blood sport? Well, the word ‘barbaric’ comes to mind. And an another would be: ILLEGAL.
It is illegal to do this to dogs, how can it be okay for children?
I’m pretty sure I’m going to be preaching to the converted here. Kids fighting one another while parents just stand by and applaud is basically beyond comprehension to any rational human being. I don’t think however, we are dealing with rational human beings.
Would you let your kids cage-fight? If they wanted to do it, could you stand on the sidelines and cheer them on? What happened to just a good ol’ fashioned wrestle in the backyard?
Top Comments
Okay coming from a teenage girl that does mauy tai in australia. Kids cage fighting to some may seem barbaric but what you have just seen is the fight its self, you haven't seen the training and hard work that gets put into it. And all MMA is, is combining all forms of martial arts and turning it into the one sport. Now let me justify that it can be dangerous if you haven't had the training and don't know what to do but these kids know what they are doing and it is fairly safe considering what some other sports can cause.
Also people that suffer from things like ADHD, ADD etc these types of sports can help control their energy level and teach them that there is a time and place to go crazy and be hyperactive and that is when they are training of fighting; it also wears them out and for parents that have to deal with kids that have ADHD it can be stressful and to know that when you pick up your child from training and they are tired and clam gives a sort of peace of mind. My little sister and dad both have ADHD and doing things that wear them out helps control their energy and concentration levels. Now my sister is too young to go to the place that i practice at but at home she practices with me in the home gym and on the boxing bag and i teach her the correct ways to hit and kick.
like someone said further down in the comments, people let their kids participate in american football and even though it is a ball sport they are put into an environment that being tackled and getting into fights with no knowledge of how and where it is safe to hit can be fatal.
Take this into consideration, why would you let your kid participate in any sports cause they all have dangers in them, for example in gymnastics kids as young as 4 are exposed to having to look a certain way and be a certain way or they cannot compete and when they become state level they are put through long tiring hours of intense training and are told what they have to eat and drink and how much they have to weigh before they compete; things like that often lead to mental illnesses such as bulimia, anorexia, Endos and the list goes on. For me i think that is much more dangerous then being padded up and trained in the art of fighting.
But that is just my opinion that most people are either going to lash out on or disregard because i am only 16 and don't know the difference between right and wrong and still have yet to finish school so i cannot have an opinion.
Like most Blogs I run across this one regurgitates misinformation for dramatic effect. If you have a problem with kids competing in the Olympic Sports of TKD and Judo then I would understand why you have a problem with the FILA sport of Pankration. Remove head strikes from TKD and combine it with Judo, minus the slams and you have Pankration.
BTW Australian and NZ kids compete in Muay Thai. I know because I met several of them two years ago at the world championships in St Petersburg Russia. They were a nice group. IFMA Muay Thai allows punches, kicks, elbows and knees to the face.
You do your readers a disservice when all you are is a conduit for misinformation and sensationalized reporting.