UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta has promised the promotion will fight to have MMA regulated in Ireland.
The nation was rocked by the tragic death of Joao Carvalho on Monday, raising serious questions about saftey protocols.
Currently MMA is not a recognised sport in Ireland and Carvalho’s death has emphasized the need for change.
Speaking to MMA Fighting, Fertitta outlined his desire to see regulation introduced to the Emerald Isle.
Fertitta said:
That’s been our mantra. We run towards regulation.
We would love to be able to sit down to work with the authorities in Ireland and the UK so that, not just our events, but all the events are properly regulated.
I don’t know exactly what happened in that event, everybody is still trying to figure that out but that’s the reason we want regulation, so there are standards, so it’s the same everywhere and we would certainly think that that would be a good idea.
The CEO of Sport Ireland has issued a clear warning of what failure to implement new guidelines would mean for the nation’s fighters and fans.
As reported by The Independent.ie, John Treacy said:
If we bring forward guidelines and codes of practice and they are not followed then I think there is no place for it in Ireland, it’s as simple as that.
The situation with the MMA in the country is that there isn’t a national organisation. It’s made up of promoters and individuals.
We sat down with them about two years ago. We said that they needed to form a corporate body in some way if they wanted to be recognised as a sport.
Meanwhile the referee from last Saturday’s Total Extreme Fighting bout, between Carvalho and Charlie Ward, has defended his role in the fight.
Speaking to the Irish Daily Star Mariusz Domasat said:
If you watch the fight you see clearly there was no reason to stop the fight earlier.
I stopped the fight when there was a reason to stop the fight, when the fighter wasn’t willing to fight anymore, that’s it. Everyone who has any idea about MMA knows the fight was stopped at the exact proper time.
I am an experienced referee and part of the Irish Amateur Pankration Association of Safe MMA and I know what I am doing.
There are now two investigations probing the 28-year-old Portuguese fighter’s death, and a crowd funding page set up to assist his family at this difficult time.
