No Elbows or Knees at UFC 97 ???

[Luke]

The UFC’s second trip to Montreal is in jeopardy following a decision by the Quebec Boxing Commission this week to adhere to regulations that prohibit elbow and knee strikes and other standard MMA moves.

Sportsnet.ca was the first to report on the story on Thursday.

The full article is here at sherdog

http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/rules-shift-jeopardizes-ufc-97-in-montreal-16201


This is just plain dumb

[Mr. IWS]

I just cant see them having the event there with that bs.

[Luke]

I just cant see them having the event there with that bs.


Thats what I thought. I also cant see Silva fighting a fight where he cant use knees since he is a Mauy Thai fighter and does alot of knees in the clinch

[Mr. IWS]

Rich Franklin should try to fight him up there. Those knees were like attempted murder when Silva and Franklin fought...LOL

[Mr. IWS]

Some of the rules revelations include:
- Hitting with a bent knee or elbow is deemed a foul
- Once a fighter is knocked down, the opponent must go to a neutral corner
- No judo throws (fighter can't be dumped on his head)
- Limits on the cage size (UFC's Octagon is beyond the allowable size)



Isnt that called boxing?

[Luke]

Some of the rules revelations include:
- Hitting with a bent knee or elbow is deemed a foul
- Once a fighter is knocked down, the opponent must go to a neutral corner
- No judo throws (fighter can't be dumped on his head)
- Limits on the cage size (UFC's Octagon is beyond the allowable size)




Isnt that called boxing?


Boxing or Kickboxing .

What a crock this is .Do you think they will cancel the event?

[Mr. IWS]

Ive been reading shit all day about it. Some say no, some say yes. They already sold 13,000 tickets and the balance go on sale today and they say it will sell out in minutes.

I personally think they will work it out and have the event with MMA rules.

[Mr. IWS]

Fights are on!

UFC 97 will take place as scheduled at the Bell Centre in Montreal on April 18, after the promoters met with Québécois officials on Tuesday and hashed out acceptable rules for the event.

Regie des Alcools, des courses et des jeux (RACJ), the government agency that oversees combat sports in Quebec, posted a press release on Wednesday stating that the UFC would receive a license to hold the event, but gave no details regarding any revised rules, if any.

“During our meeting, the Regie received assurances by the promoter that the security of the participants will be assured and that the regulation on the fight sports will be respected at the time of the event,” read the RACJ release.

Quebec Boxing Commission representative Daniele Gagnon told Sherdog.com that no further comment would be issued by the commission or the RACJ on Wednesday.

Rejean Theriault, communications director for the RACJ, announced last week that the provincial agency would uphold previously unrecognized regulations for the sport which prohibited elbow and knee strikes, and asked referees to intervene each time a fighter was knocked down. The rules were drafted for “mixed boxing” in the early 1990s, and severely handicap what fans recognize today as mixed martial arts.

MMA events have been hosted in the province for nearly ten years under rules comparable to the unified rules of combat, but a recent change in leadership at the commission led to a re-evaluation of the system. Theriault said the RACJ was unaware that the commission’s previous head, Mario LaTraverse, has allowed promoters to deviate from the Quebec regulations in place.

Officials were hard-pressed to make the decision after a Titans Fighting (formerly Strikebox) event on Feb. 6 in Montreal ended in near-riot regarding confusion over the rules.

Richard Renault, who replaced LaTraverse, was among those who called for a more stringent application of the regulations on the books.

UFC 97, which pits middleweight champion Anderson Silva against jiu-jitsu ace Thales Leites, sold nearly 13,000 tickets in the first few minutes, said UFC officials last week. The promotion’s previous trip to Montreal for UFC 83 last April sold 20,011 tickets, a record for the promotion and the sport in North America.

[Luke]

So they are going to use regular MMA rules?

[Mr. IWS]

I gotta believe that if the UFC were to have an event, it would be with unified MMA rules.