Mixed martial arts in Ontario

For years, the government of Ontario has been reluctant to allow MMA in Ontario despite it being allowed in six Canadian jurisdictions and 46 American states at the time. McGuinty, when questioned on the matter of bringing MMA to Ontario, often responded that it was not a priority and the issue was not on his agenda. He believes that if he were to knock on 1,000 doors of Ontario Family homes and ask them about their top three concerns, he would be surprised if any would say that we need to start MMA in Ontario.[4]

There was also an issue in the interpretation of section 83 of the Criminal Code, which makes "prize fighting" illegal. At the time Ontario was considering allowing MMA, this section defined "prize fighting" as follows:

"83(2) In this section, "prize fight" means an encounter or fight with fists or hands between two persons who have met for that purpose by previous arrangement made by or for them, but a boxing contest between amateur sportsmen, where the contestants wear boxing gloves of not less than one hundred and forty grams each in mass, or any boxing contest held with the permission or under the authority of an athletic board or commission or similar body established by or under the authority of the legislature of a province for the control of sport within the province, shall be deemed not to be a prize fight."[5]

Ontario Athletics Commissioner, Ken Hayashi, thought MMA was not an exception to this and that it is not considered boxing, although Ontario allows professional kickboxing. He believed that any combat sport, excluding boxing and kickboxing, is illegal in Ontario (and all of Canada). He was unwilling to budge on the matter causing frustration for MMA lobbyists especially since he was considered the person best positioned to start the legalization process.[6]

The UFC was responsible for the majority of the lobbying efforts for the sanctioning of MMA in Ontario. They were committed in educating provincial government officials on the sport with hopes to move the legalization efforts quicker. They went ahead with opening an official UFC office in Toronto and placing Tom Wright in charge of the efforts. Tom Wright, former Canadian Football League Commissioner and President of Adidas Canada, was hired to head the Toronto office, as the UFC believed he added creditability to the cause. They believe his accomplishments in the sports, business and community sectors, and the fact that he has lived in Toronto most of his life, will help bridge the gaps more easily than an American.[7]

The UFC also went on to hire Noble Chummar, an attorney with Cassels, Brock and Blackwell, as legal representation for the UFC in Ontario. This lobbyist firm was hired by the UFC to also assist with educating members of the provincial government on the many reasons why the sport should be sanctioned and regulated.[8]

There was also public support for the legalization of the MMA. A Facebook group was made for people who believe the sport should be legal in Ontario. The group grew to have more than 7000 members.[9]

Another possible motivation for Ontario's decision to legalize professional MMA events was financial and economic gain these events can bring to local economies. The government believed that a large MMA event could bring in about $6 million in revenue for the province.[1]

Many credit the fact that Ontario's local economy was struggling the year prior to the decision and that with Ontario having a deficit of around $20 billion at the time. MMA events in Ontario would generate and stimulate Ontario tourism and possibly generate millions in economic activity. Minister of Consumer Services, Sophia Aggelonitis, said, "My other goal is to provide an economic boost for communities who want to hold MMA events." The New Democratic Party, despite criticizing the Liberal government for changing their minds on the sport, supported the legalization of MMA because of the opportunity for economic benefits.[2] The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has long waited for and petitioned the Ontario government for legalization of the sport. UFC hosted UFC 129 in Toronto and pulled in a record 55, 000 fans and exceeding 11 million in gate revenue, making it the largest and most profitable MMA event in North America.

In August 2010, following the sanctioning of MMA in Ontario, Canada's largest doctors association issued a statement asking the government to ban mixed martial arts. About 250 delegates attended the annual Canadian Medical Association meeting that year and voted for the organization to campaign for the ban. Dr. Anne Zoig, the outgoing CMA president, commented that it's the responsibility of the association to promote good health and oppose any activity that would directly lead to maiming and injury to Canadians.[10]

They believe that MMA will lead to serious issues including brain damage and that they cannot support this to continue in Canada. They however have no power in what the policy-makers do with this information.[10]

Since the release of their opposition, the UFC commented that the safety of the fighters is a high priority and that the league will be just as rigorous as any other professional sports organization when it comes to the health and safety of its athletes. The Ontario government has also commented that they would have welcomed any advice from the CMA.[10]

Dr. Shelby Karpman, a doctor who has supervised over 200 martial arts fights, commented that banning this sport would not have been a solution. It is so popular that the possibility of the sport going underground is extremely high. If there was a ban, the fights will continue and will continue without being medically supervised. There would be no medical personnel or paramedics on-sight and the number of sport-related injuries would greatly increase. He believes the opposite and that MMA is a safe sport when supervised. He comments that he had never seen anyone come close to dying in an MMA ring.[11]