Police to probe Kids "Cage Fight" in Preston

[Vamp]

It's 2 eight year olds in a cage, fighting in front of a drunken crowd. It doesn't take a genius to figure out where that's going. You can rabbit on all you like about judo and karate but it isn't seen in the same way at all. To most people it will come across as a junior Bum Fight.

Was the bout supervised by any accredited organisation? Why weren't they wearing any head protection? Seriously - why weren't they?

 

Because they weren't striking.

 

Hang on, I was told earlier by someone that the steel cage was needed so people could grapple into it. Which certainyl suggests the possibility of an eight year old banging their head on the cage, which to me would go a lot better wit hhead protection.

 

The real issue here is that there's newspapers who are goign to blow this out of proportion to sell opies and also, on the opposite end of the spectrum, people who assume that there's no issue here. Let's be honest here, if you can't get why there's people in the general population who hear abotu two children grapplign in cage in a working man's club in front of an audience who came primarily to see cage fighting you're either being a prick, not considering how it looks at all, being deliberately opposing or have major emphathy issues. People have heard about it, its something that many people probably haven't heard of happening before, and they're concerned that it might not be safe and want it checked out a bit more. That's perfectly fine. Pointing out that its not illegal isn't a great argument because neither was animal cruelty in circuses for a bloody long time but now its something I'd imaging the majority of the country are strongly opposed to. Saying its fine in other countries is bollocks too. Eight year old are working all hours of the day making trainers in other countries, but I doubt anyone's saying that's something we should be looking into over here so that children can at least try it. Personally I'm not actually opposed to this cage fighting issue as it currently stands, as much as it might seem that I am. But its bloody good that the country is concerned about it and its absurd to believe anything different. Sure, the papers are taking if further than it need go, but of course they are. There is perhaps an issue with over sensitivity towards the safety of children in this country in certain areas, but that doesn't mean its any less important to explore what children are up to and be concerned about it.

 

Edit: I also forgot to mention the following. Saying 'submission grappling' doesn't sound any better than cage fighting. Submission involve trying to get somebody else to give up, usually from pain. That's not goign to go over well either. Also there's the issue that these two kids were put on in this 'grappling' match to entertain a paying crowd.

[Richie Freebird]

[Icon]

Vamp there nothing like the cages in the wwe. This is a nothing story that has been blown way out of proportion

[Dirty Eddie]

Hang on, I was told earlier by someone that the steel cage was needed so people could grapple into it. Which certainyl suggests the possibility of an eight year old banging their head on the cage, which to me would go a lot better wit hhead protection.

 

The real issue here is that there's newspapers who are goign to blow this out of proportion to sell opies and also, on the opposite end of the spectrum, people who assume that there's no issue here. Let's be honest here, if you can't get why there's people in the general population who hear abotu two children grapplign in cage in a working man's club in front of an audience who came primarily to see cage fighting you're either being a prick, not considering how it looks at all, being deliberately opposing or have major emphathy issues. People have heard about it, its something that many people probably haven't heard of happening before, and they're concerned that it might not be safe and want it checked out a bit more. That's perfectly fine. Pointing out that its not illegal isn't a great argument because neither was animal cruelty in circuses for a bloody long time but now its something I'd imaging the majority of the country are strongly opposed to. Saying its fine in other countries is bollocks too. Eight year old are working all hours of the day making trainers in other countries, but I doubt anyone's saying that's something we should be looking into over here so that children can at least try it. Personally I'm not actually opposed to this cage fighting issue as it currently stands, as much as it might seem that I am. But its bloody good that the country is concerned about it and its absurd to believe anything different. Sure, the papers are taking if further than it need go, but of course they are. There is perhaps an issue with over sensitivity towards the safety of children in this country in certain areas, but that doesn't mean its any less important to explore what children are up to and be concerned about it.

 

Edit: I also forgot to mention the following. Saying 'submission grappling' doesn't sound any better than cage fighting. Submission involve trying to get somebody else to give up, usually from pain. That's not goign to go over well either. Also there's the issue that these two kids were put on in this 'grappling' match to entertain a paying crowd.

The fence used is not likely to cause damage or pain, that's why it is used. I have watched literally hundreds of mma fights and off the top of my head I can't recall any time where a fighter suffered a head injury from the cage itself. Maybe a grazed elbow at worse. The fence is chain link, like the stuff that used to surround the tennis courts at my school (that we used to run towards and do flying bumps into).

 

Of course people who haven't heard of mma would want an explaination, no-one is saying that is wrong. What IS wrong is the papers going "AAAAHHHH Little Kids Being Forced To Cage Fight To The Death". The wholly innacurate and bullshit one-sidedness is insane.

 

Pointing out is is not illegal is a pretty good argument actually. When the Police have already said "Yeah, that's all fine and safe actually" then perhaps the papers are over-reacting?

 

Likewise, saying it happens in other countries is also fine. No-one said "well, they do kids cage fighting with knives in Armenia, why not here?" No, not at all. People pointed out that other very modern, western countries like the USA let kids grapple from a young age with little negative effect. A perfectly good point.

 

Also, the sport we are talking about is NOT called "Cage fighting". It is mixed martial arts (mma).

[David]

Hang on, I was told earlier by someone that the steel cage was needed so people could grapple into it. Which certainyl suggests the possibility of an eight year old banging their head on the cage, which to me would go a lot better wit hhead protection.

Have you ever tried grappling whilst wearing head protection? It's practically impossible.

[Ghostface1982]

Hang on, I was told earlier by someone that the steel cage was needed so people could grapple into it. Which certainyl suggests the possibility of an eight year old banging their head on the cage, which to me would go a lot better wit hhead protection.

Have you ever tried grappling whilst wearing head protection? It's practically impossible.

I ripped a huge tear in my ear because of a guillotine when I had a headguard on. Evil things!

 

Hang on, I was told earlier by someone that the steel cage was needed so people could grapple into it. Which certainyl suggests the possibility of an eight year old banging their head on the cage, which to me would go a lot better with head protection.

Most cages are very well padded.

 

I've never seen any grappling comp that required headguards, well apart from the ear muff ones that stop you getting cauli lugs. Headguards are pretty much useless considering how these things are scored/won.

[David]

I've never seen any grappling comp that required headguards, well apart from the ear muff ones that stop you getting cauli lugs. Headguards are pretty much useless considering how these things are scored/won.

They're also pretty impractical to be honest. Headgear can turn on your head when grappling, making it difficult to see and breathe, and they also impede your vision.

 

Anyone who suggests headguards similar to the ones worn in boxing should be worn in grappling is displaying a complete lack of knowledge.

[nfc90210]

The Daily Mail, like a dog with a bone, isn't letting this thing go.

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-20...o=feeds-newsxml

 

Barbarism Britain 2011: How do parents defend two little boys cage fighting to sate the bloodlust of a baying adult mob?[/u]

 

By Paul Bracchi and Barbara Davies

 

Last updated at 1:44 AM on 24th September 2011

 

Read more at

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-20...o=feeds-newsxml

 

The well researched article contains this gem.

 

...Earlier this year, American Bunny Hawkersmith, president of the United Fighters Alliance

[Georgie Pin]

Two eight year old children, in a cage, in a working men's club in front of the traditional boozed up audience. What part of that does anyone think:

 

A) Is absolutely fine

B) Wouldn't be jumped on by every newspaper in the land

C) Will make MMA more appealing to Joe Average

D) Will encourage said public to investigate further to find out the rules and how MMA is actually run

 

Or will they read the headline and make a judgement? It was stupid and pretty much undefendable. "It's not illegal.", "They weren't striking." "No one in MMA has ever had an injury from a cage (including 8 year olds?)".

 

It actually probably was illegal as they were too young to be in the club. But at the end of the day - the situation was just wrong. Surely someone else can see that?

[Bus Surfer]

Two eight year old children, in a cage, in a working men's club in front of the traditional boozed up audience. What part of that does anyone think:

 

A) Is absolutely fine

B) Wouldn't be jumped on by every newspaper in the land

C) Will make MMA more appealing to Joe Average

D) Will encourage said public to investigate further to find out the rules and how MMA is actually run

 

Or will they read the headline and make a judgement? It was stupid and pretty much undefendable. "It's not illegal.", "They weren't striking." "No one in MMA has ever had an injury from a cage (including 8 year olds?)".

 

It actually probably was illegal as they were too young to be in the club. But at the end of the day - the situation was just wrong. Surely someone else can see that?

 

I think any MMA fan in this thread would agree that putting them in a cage infront of the crowd in that environment is complete idiocy. The issue I have is that the article portrays it as 'kids cage fighting' when it is just grappling. They continue to liken todays MMA with the product of 15 years ago. None of the people who reported on it bother to even look into the sport before rolling out the 'Human Cockfighting' nonsense.

 

The papers should be ripping the people who decided to run it, not MMA as a whole.

 

Nice to see your still around, George.

[Tommy Atkins]

Kids can go in social clubs. It was a Labour club, not a nightclub.

[Georgie Pin]

That was what I've been trying to say (obviously really badly) Stu - thank you.

 

The defences of this though have seemed to be saying that it was a non-story and perfectly ok for the children to be in that situation. In my opinion it wasn't. I enjoy MMA too but this has done the sport no favours and putting on the blinkers in defence of the situation won't help. The people who ran this card obviously gave no thought to how it would be perceived probably because they don't make their living from it. I would have thought that the fans of the sport here might have given it a bit more thought. Right or wrong - media perception is everything for MMA.

 

Still around occasionally mate. Good to see you have that brilliant avatar!

[Georgie Pin]

Kids can go in social clubs. It was a Labour club, not a nightclub.

 

It depends on the licence - in this case, I think they should have been out before the time they were fighting.

[Flatulent Dad]

It was Greenlands (Freddie Flintoff's old stomping ground). They'd probably be getting their limbs torn off by pitbulls outside anyway. Personally, no problem with the nature of the bout, the setting wasn't appropriate though.

[Jetta's G-string]

What they're doing inside the cage is not much different to kids participating in amateur wrestling or judo.

 

However, the fact it's taking place in a cage in front of a drunken adult audience, i do think is wrong.