Opposition to student fight nights

[Mumratheeverliving1]

My son was seriously injured in one of these event. He is 18 had no experience. He was allowed to fight with a 25 year old captain of a kickboxing team! Heavier in weight. No regulation. He was asked to fundraise within 2 weeks of being at uni. I didnt know and wasnt informed even when he was sent to hospital. He was sent home concussed no next of kin informed. They ask them to sign waivers so they avoid prosecution but it cannot be legal. Its a huge racket. Whats worse is student unions are now becoming embroiled in this nightmare. Another lad had his retina and cheek bone damaged couldnt study for months. Complain!. Shut these companies down.please do let me know if you have had a similar experience.

I'm so bored of seeing this research incorrectly cited to defend enmeshed parenting of adults.

The study you mentioned showed that adult brains continue to develop. The study stopped when participants were 26 and the brains were still developing. Further research shows that your brain continues to develop into your 30s. That doesn't mean a 30 yo is not a fully functional adult, it just means that your brain continues to change, which make absolute sense as a 30-something is likely to be juggling children and several other roles whereas a 20-something typically has a lot less responsibility.

I work at a university and have googled my university and it happens here. Promoted by the students union and facilitated by Wilder Fighting. I’m quite horrified to be honest.

Chatgpt says universities would be liable if any fights are held on their premises. They can’t dispense liability by saying the SU organised it. Not sure how correct that is but I’m surprised universities allow it.

I have sons at Bristol and Exeter universities and this is a thing at both. I think it is awful and I can’t understand why the universities allow it.

DD was horrified to be invited to one in Belfast. Sold as a black tie charity event too.

UNIVERSITY FIGHT NIGHT - BLACK TIE BOXING at Stormont Hotel Belfast, Belfast on 9th Dec | Fatsoma share.google/aWbwMrTpiEjNsHTG3

Thats very interesting information Kitty, thankyou - I hadnt come across that before. But......... my point still stands - to cut the apron ties with an 18yo and assume they are now magically able to navigate all and require no support, no aid in decision making because "they are adults" is unwise and I actually think its cruel and neglectful. My kids are in their 20s and in no way "enmeshed" but they still absolutely benefit from a bit of guidance and support every now and then. As do at 50 and most people I know tbh - I think everyone can benefit from the wise words of an elder, a support network

PLEASE EMAIL THE UNIVERSITY GOVERNING BODIES IF YOU'RE OPPOSED TO STUDENT UNION INVOLVEMENT IN , OR ORGANISATION OF, FIGHT NIGHTS. FIND OUT ALL YOU CAN ABOUT IT. ALSO WRITE TO THE MINISTERS LISA NANDY AND BRIDGET PHILIPSON. LEGISLIATION IS NEEDED AS A MATTER OF URGENCY. ITS WELL WORTH READING THE INQUESTS AND CORONERS REPORTS OF DOMINC CHAPMAN AND OTHERS WHO HAVE LOST THEIR LIVES IN CHARITY BOUTS IN THE LAST 4 YEARS. ITS A HUGE EYE OPENER .THE MARTIAL ARTS STUDENT UNION SOCIETIES AND GRASS ROOTS CLUBS ARE OFTEN NOT ACCREDITED NO QUALIFICATIONS NO REAL REGARD FOR SAFEGUARDING NO ADHERENCE TO OFFICIAL REGULATION FROM THE MTGB or SPORT England etc for example. ITS TRULY HARD TO BELIEVE. (IMAGINE IF THIS WERE ROCK CLIMBING OR DIVING !!) THE UNIVERSITIES ARE REQUIRED TO MONITOR THEIR UNIONS UNDER THE 1994 EDUCATION ACT BUT THEY ARE SIMPLY WASHING THEIR HANDS OF IT AND ALSO FEAR LITIGATION . MY FRIEND'S SON HAD HIS CHEEKBONE Smashed and retina damaged in an event linked to UCL in his first year no study for 3 month.crushed. Again the oppenent was far more experiened! REAL NEGLIGENCE ON THE PART OF UNIVERSITY.
change wont happen without action . Good luck

Sounds like you might have a legal case on your hands. Talk is cheap, but lawsuits are scary and are likely to be far more discouraging than any number of strongly worded letters

I worked at a University that held these events, through the Student Union too. I can't think of anything less entertaining than watching intelligent young people fighting each other. I think it's grim and should not be normalised.

OP can you involve your MP? This sounds like it's a country wide issue and is a growing one.

My son participated, he’s only 5’6 and autistic
he trained 5 hours a day and this really helped his mental health
he absolutely loved it and won often, extreme level of fitness
never crossed my mind that he shouldn’t fight MMA

I had no idea about this. I googled it. Students only have eight to nine weeks of professional training then allowed to fight. No experience needed. It's horrible

It is good to know how these fights operate and how little regard the organisers have for the lives of young people

https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/38507/1/1211540_Matthews.pdf

Happy to help you raise concerns.

I am concerned about these 'fight nights', too. I find them abhorrent. No head protection and yet they receive pummels to the head - insane. Are we going to see a surge in MND and similar diseases in the future?

Idiot comments about him being old enough to make the choices. A naive 18 year old, possibly away from home for the first time, going up again more socially established men physically and mentally more mature, in unregulated fights. How are you not seeing how wrong this is?

I am amazed these events are allowed to continue and haven't been investigated, my daughter took part with Wilder fight night at her University, I went to the event to ensure she was ok, it was horrific, they literally madly punch the hell out of each other, 8 weeks training, bad opponent matches and quite frankly very dangerous, there has been a death and at her friend's uni a girl had a heart attack in the ring, it's a massive money earner for the company running it and the event itself yes black tie but students behaving feral so much noise they had to keep stopping the event, people crowding round the ring and high levels of alcohol involved, the fighters get punched in the head then start drinking the minute they leave the ring. The pear pressure once you have signed up is massive. Although my daughter did it she said she wasn't prepared for the event itself, mentally it's alot and she can't remember a thing from the fight itself, she wouldn't do it again given the chance. I think they sign up in good faith that it will be safe.

I've looked at the Wilder Fighting insta. They look like a grubby little money making business. Kids are going to get hurt.

When I used to do martial arts were were trained, very padded up and it was strictly controlled. No one was pissed and cheering us on.

Yep these absolutely should be banned. My dd took part in one in second year. She’s been boxing on and off for a few years and was really really shocked at what went on. Boxing is strictly regulated usually with a very tight guidelines around who you are matched with. They held a practice sparring day and she was put with a girl 10 kg heavier. When she questioned it she was screamed at by the coach… she was told you get in with who I fucking tell you to.
Fortunatly for dd the fact she could actually box saved her but I really feel for the beginners.
Some of the fights on the night were done in 20 seconds as they were so badly matched.

Yeah my boys would never fight for the entertainment of a crowd. You have to teach them to want better for themselves than that.

Rather than ban the activity, we need to raise smarter, healthier kids.

So sorry to hear about your son, OP. I can't believe people are minimising this. It is incredible that student unions are encouraging it for Rag. Untrained boxers in a drink fuelled environment at an age when brains are still developing. Any kind of risk assessment would show this is a terrible idea. Might be worth writing to the university as well the the students union.

They also sign a waver on the night that exempts the company from any responsibility these YP are also not insured and are told to get their own, what 18 year old is bothered or understands the need to insure themselves 😳 they are almost always held off Uni sites so the Uni also takes zero responsibility. They call it Uni fight nights but in reality the Uni itself are not involved.

This nothing to do with "smart" kids in fact alot of the YP who do this are highly educated and very competitive wanting to push themselves out of the "norm" of comfort zones, it actually takes real balls to get in the ring, this however doesn't make it right, almost all of them will be very sporty and don't underestimate pear pressure.

That's a very smug and self-satisfied parenting comment. My boys would never in a million years put themselves forward for this, that doesn't mean I can't empathise with a parent whose son did. The teen years are renowned for poor judgement and risk taking behaviour and who knows what any of our children may have done without us knowing about it.

The point is that boxing is an inherently dangerous and potentially lethal sport, even with strict regulation and training structures. The idea of setting this up for teenagers in a drink fuelled environment is abhorrent. But presumably it will continue until enough young people are killed or brain damaged to persuade universities to do something about it. Which is tragic.