Joint statement from Dave Jones and Peter Lavery

weemate

We have decided to retire from refereeing the sport of MMA in Ireland. We have a number of concerns regarding the safe running of shows in this country and the more importantly the clubs who supply fighters to these shows. Our last refereeing date will be Battlezone 2nd March 2013. Between now and that date, we will meet all confirmed refereeing obligations and will still be available for any dates before the 2nd March provided the show meets with our approval.
MMA in this country has come a long way in the last couple of years but it needs the following to be put in place in our opinion.
• A list of legitimate, well run, Garda / police vetted, fully insured clubs to be put together. Each club should have an experienced coach(s) in Thai, Kickboxing, boxing or similar, Wrestling or Judo and BJJ or at least a high level in 2 of the 3 ranges. A knowledge or at least a willingness to become up-skilled in Strength and Conditioning is also desirable.

• This list should not include any clubs trying to “ride the MMA wave” i.e. former kickboxers turned grappling experts, judoka turned strikers etc. etc. It should not include any clubs who willingly put their athletes young and old, at risk by either falsifying records or misleading promoters as to the experience of their athletes. This is going on, we all know it is going on and don’t seem willing to address it. I know of one club continuing to place an athlete on shows when the fighter is already 0-5 at Amateur and has quite clearly not been developed as a fighter in the correct manner is unfair to the paying public, unfair to the referees and medics who could potentially have to deal with a situation that could have been best avoided. Promoters must be willing to forego the use of such clubs to fill out their cards. If these clubs can’t get fights then their fighters can’t compete and either go elsewhere or put pressure on the club to change so it meets established criteria.

• All promoters should refuse to use clubs that do not come under the umbrella of legitimacy as outlined above.

• We continue to suggest that there is no need for Juniors to be competing in a cage and that all U18s should be competing in mmaleague “style” events and also boxing, kickboxing, san shou, judo, bjj, wrestling etc. which are widely available.
• It is our proposal that all amateur fighters i.e. 18 and over should have a minimum experience of 8-10 mmaleague “style” events, (We are not promoting Mark’s venture, but it is the largest and longest in existence, however, we are also encouraging others to set up similar events) before taking an amateur rules event on an MMA show. I know Mark keeps records which would make matchmaking for athlete’s first amateur rules fights easier.

• We propose that all amateur records be kept on a website (powerhouse or similar perhaps) so that falsifying of records becomes more difficult, and match making more efficient and safer.


• Clubs should only support shows that use legitimate referees, judges, medics and cutsmen. Shows that pay pro rules fighters accordingly and reward amateur fighters with a percentage of ticket sales. No Irish club should accept a match vs. a foreign fighter without first being able to check the legitimacy of that fighter’s record, and should still use common sense when accepting or rejecting a fight.
• MMA promoters should promote MMA. There should be no K1, Teen, Grappling, Thai etc. on an MMA show.
• There are only two rule sets for MMA shows in this country Pro and Amateur.
• All fight cards including the running order, blue/red corners etc. should be available two days before the event so score cards and results sheets can be pre prepared.
• No judges or timekeepers should consume alcohol during a show.
• Timekeepers should have a countdown clock and a stopwatch (a phone should not be used)
• All clubs with fighters should have a representative at the rules meeting with their fighter(s)
• Two Cutsmen to be provided by promoter at all shows.
• Two competent runners to work back stage and keep show on schedule
• Adequate warm up areas and changing facilities for all fighters including but not limited to mats, water, fruit, food, toilets,
• All pro fighters and in the long term amateur fighters should provide regular and up to date blood tests before competing.
• In the case of younger fighters i.e. 18-20 they must be able to provide a birth certificate or passport or driver’s license to confirm age if asked.
• Cageside, there should be 3 judges, a timekeeper, ring girl(s) if being used, a cage technician for repairs, cage door, clean up blood etc., commentators (if applicable) and press/photographers if necessary. That is all, no friends of friends, wives, girlfriends, VIPS etc.
• Adequate door and venue security should be employed by promoters, it is better to be over supplied than under supplied in every case.

It is our firm belief that even with all this in place the sport of MMA is a dangerous activity and has the potential for serious injury. However with none of the above in place, not only does the potential for serious injury increase, but the legal fall out from an incident resulting in paralysis or death would be far more widespread. This as far as we are concerned is totally unacceptable. Waiting for an incident to happen, rather than putting mechanisms in place so that the likelihood of an incident taking place is less, is not an acceptable way of doing things in a combat sport that is supposed to be professional. The sport needs to be proactive rather than reactive.
With that in mind, Peter and I have agreed that we will run a referees course in the New Year probably around February. There will be no charge for the course, participants will not be certified in anyway, but we will pass on as much information as we can regarding the safe adjudication of the sport as we see it.

Yours sincerely
David Jones & Peter Lavery

manga_10

Best of luck guys and thanks for all you've done as far as advancing the sport with regards to officating

El Guapo!

I think a lot of what is said in that statement makes perfect sense. However, the sad thing is there's probably no real way to police the sport without an official governing body being set up. Something along the lines of the IABA in amateur boxing.
I think this is some way off though.

In the absence of a governing body, if every club and promoter agreed to a certain set of standards then its a step in the right direction. Unfortunately though, without a governing body, there will always be cowboy clubs and promotions springing up that will endanger fighters safety and possibly ruin it for the rest of the reputable clubs. The sad reality is it'll probably take a serious accident/injury before any official body takes notice.

Best of luck in the future anyway guys.

Xlami

Very sad to see and credit to the lads for speaking up. I would like to think this is more of an ultimatum rather than a retirement but if not congratulations to both of you on successful careers and it will leave a big void in Irish MMA that I hope is not fixed with panic measures.