To think Cage fighting for eight year olds

[Springyknickersohnovicars]

Should be illegal?

Children as young as six are taking up the controversial sport of "cage fighting", alarming medical experts and sports officials.

The violent sport, also known as "ultimate fighting" , combines martial arts, wrestling and boxing but with few rules often looks like little more than a brawl.

It has come over here from the states, parents are in a club, drinking, baying for the chldren to carry on fighting even when they've been hurt.

I know it is legal, and it shouldnt be IMO but what kind of "parents" want their children cage fighting? What chance have these children got in life? I wonder what should be done to protect these children?

Or do some think it's no worse than boxing?

That particular social event was held in the bar area for the entertainment of adults.

I doubt the labour club has the nursery sing and rhyme time be watched from the side lines by some adults enjoying a social pint of beer.

I'm not educated enough on the actual cage fighting regulations to give an informed decision right now, but my immediate thoughts were of this article toddlers made to fight by mother, while she laughed

Now, I know the children in this article are toddlers and the children we are discussing here and a little older, but I'm just not sure I would want my children being brought up to want to fight to cause damage...

Maybe it's the cage that I disapprove of, perhaps the connotations surrounding that word suggest being held captive or something..I don't know....

I will watch this thread and try to learn and form a better opinion.

There's no punching in youth MMA for a start, there's the first major difference between an organised,controlled and refereed martial art and some scumbag making her kids punch each other while she watches on and calls them a 'faggot'

Squeaky parents in charge of children they've put into a position where they could well get injured, getting intoxicated and you see nothing wrong? I do big time.

Their judgement will be impaired, even more so than it is while sober.

Come on, now. Cage fighting is not rugby. Rugby may have injury as a by product of the sport, but the main goal of Cage fighting is to cause injury.

Yes Posie, but the rules for children are very different.

Maryz....wish there was a 'like' button.

My DH does Mixed Martial Arts (cage fighting) as a hobby and semi pro but he wouldn't encourage any children to take part. I think this is an adult sport.

The fact it was in a [shudder] social club as entertainment says all I need to know.

No punching, oh I thought along with grappling, striking techniques were allowed - is this not classed as punching?

Here to be educated, not to start a scrap :)

Maryz well said.

Although, there are kids at his Gym that learn all the different types of Martial Arts and spar with each other but they arent allowed to punch each other and are supervised so they cant hurt each other - only practice what they have learned.

However I guess all gyms are different and there may be people out there that let kids punch each other? Dont know

excellent point Mary about the dogs and the children, if it were dogs they'd be arrested for cruelty for sure.

Most of the kids learn and practice their striking skills using bags etc not each other at my DH's gym.

I have never seen dogs wrestling, nor have I have seen children biting each other in a ring.

You cannot compare a martial art to illegal dog fighting for heavens sakes!

It was done for entertainment, fuck all to do with the little boys in the ring getting better in their chosen (I use that loosely) sport. That's the worst part.

Exploiting children, plain and simple.

I've just seen more of the video of this on the lunchtime news. One of the boys was crying for godsake, and still some people class this as acceptable entertainment.

The dog and children analogy works for me, neither can make an informed choice as to whether they would be injured or not.

Happy- one of the boys was crying and so was I

How could anyone watch that poor boy and think it was ok

I think you can legitimately compare it to dog fights/bear baiting etc on the grounds that the participants were put in there for the pleasure of the adult who "owns" them and controls their liife. i.e the participants have no choice.

Secondly the watching crowd were using it to express their own agression via watching physical combat of the participants.

Third, the loser is the one "weakened" by the winner...therefore some sort of physical or emotional humiliation must take place for a winner to be announced. So we are debating: "is putting two children into a cage until one is so physically and emotionally traumatised that the other is declared a winner a good thing?"

I'd say it wasn't.

I'm also against boxing as a sport on the grounds that two people bludgeoning each other around the head until one of the loses conciousness is not a sport, it's sadism.

Imo the kids I have come across whose parents have pushed them into combat sports are bullies themselves.

I hear this time and again, parents who insist their kids do kick boxing or another contact sport so they are not the ones being bullied. No they certainly are not - because they are the bullies! One little boy grabbed my ds by the hair and thumped him once, all because my ds bumped into him when running past. I was there as was his grandmother. When I asked for an apology I was told "we've taught him to hit anyone who touches him" when I queried this because obv accidents happen she just shrugged.

All that contact sport does, imo, is teach kids how to be bullies and how to be violent. Combine that with violent video games and you've got another generation of thugs who go out and fight for laughs.

As someone who lived in Preston for many years, I'm not surprised this is where it happened. Probably in the Guild Hall.