SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
A Yellowknife city councillor has stepped down from the Combative Sports Commission, saying she did not realize what type of sports she would be dealing with until she attended a mixed martial arts (MMA) fight.
Yellowknife's James Williams mounts a ground-and-pound attack on his opponent, Kyle Rusnak of Alberta, during the Fivestar Fight League card at the Yk Arena on April 13. - James McCarthy/NNSL photo |
"I just ... I don't feel comfortable," city councillor Linda Bussey told Yellowknifer shortly after she was officially replaced by councillor Phil Moon Son at Monday's city council meeting.
"It's a growing sport, and there's another fight in September but I just felt like (I should step down from the commission). I mean, it's OK. They're very much in shape."
Bussey explained when she joined the commission, she was under the impression it was the boxing commission and was surprised when she attended the Fivestar Fight League card at the Yk Arena on April 13.
"I really didn't expect it," adding she watched much of the fights through her fingers because she was covering her eyes.
She left after about three bouts, she said, although partly because she had a conflicting appointment that evening.
On Monday, city council voted unanimously in favour of allowing Bussey to step down and then appointed councillor Phil Moon Son as the new council representative on the commission.
James Williams, who fought his first sanctioned MMA fight during the event earlier this month, said he understands there are people who don't like the sport.
Williams has been training in MMA for just over a year and said it takes hard work and dedication to be a fighter. For example, he trained every day for six weeks leading up to the April 13 fight.
"Like with any other sport, you have to train really hard to get to where you want to be," he said. "I felt safe, even sparring in the cage. Everyone is well trained to do what they're supposed to do. There's fighting in hockey, there's fighting in lacrosse, there's fighting in almost every sport."
The role of the Yellowknife Combative Sports Commission is not necessarily to enjoy fighting sports, it is to regulate and sanction these types of events, said commission chair Tim Mercer.
"I can fully understand why this is not everybody's cup of tea and I think it's important to have people on the commission who are not necessarily fans of the sport because it allows you to have a really critical eye," said Mercer, adding he wouldn't call himself a fan of the sport, although he has watched several live fights.
For every advertised fight, a promoter must first seek the sanction of the commission. Once the fight is sanctioned, the commission issues licences to people who want to be allowed in the ring and appoints judges, referees, ring marshals and fight inspectors, said Mercer. There is always a doctor on site who examines each fighter before and after they spar, and who sits ringside and has the right to call the fight at any time.
For example, Williams won his fight on April 13 because the ringside doctor called the match due to blood spewing from a cut near his opponent's eye.
Commissioners and a doctor who sit ringside have the right to end a match, as does the referee who is always in the cage with the fighters, said Mercer. Since its early days, MMA has changed significantly from its street-fight style roots to include many regulations, such as wearing padded gloves.
Since the commission was created by the City of Yellowknife in 2006, it has overseen at least four sanctioned fights within the city. One was a professional boxing match and the others were all mixed martial arts events, said Mercer. While there have often been cuts and bruising, there has never been a serious injury related to a Yellowknife sanctioned event, he said.
