PAST
ISCF NEWS FOR ISCF HOME - EVENTS - NEWS - GYMS - RANKINGS - RULES - SANCTIONING - JOINING ISCF - WEIGHT CLASSES - E-Mail | |||||
TUESDAY, September 29th, 2009, AT 6:10 PM/ PST Results From Mid Missouri MMA Association's
Results From Tribal Wars Promotions Presents
|
ISCF
Looking At Legal Action Towards
Former Edmonton Chief Executive
Commissioner
Orest Zmyndak AND
The Commission Itself!
It's one thing to talk out your rear to another person as you represent yourself. However, if you are going to speak on behalf or as a representative of a Government Agency, you better have all your facts straight before you open you mouth. However, this was not the case when *Former Edmonton Combative Sports Commission Executive Director Orest Zmyndak opened his big mouth a few weeks back and out right lied about his facts about the ISCF.
The ISCF was hired, paid and scheduled to sanction an event promoted by Armageddon Fighting Championships - www.ArmageddonFC.com "The Big BANG!" on August 22nd, 2009 at the Bear Mountain Arena Colwood, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The ISCF had inquired to the promoters if or not they needed an athletic or boxing commission to assist and or oversee the event. Promoter Darren Owens informed the ISCF that because no local commission existed in Colwood, where the arena is located, he believed they only needed the help of the ISCF.
From this, the ISCF listed the event on their events page. Once they received the fight card, they discovered there were pro fighters on it, in fact, nearly all of the fighters were pros. So ISCF informed Owens that the event had to be a Pro event. Still, there was no suggestion of or any effort to seek out any need of a local Athletic or Boxing commission by the Owen's group.
Then, prior to the event the promoters received a phone call from Orest Zmyndak, (Former President of the Canadian Boxing Federation ) and back then of the Edmonton Boxing and Wrestling Commission, threatening to suspend anyone involved with the show due to the absence of a local athletic commission to sanction the card. Zmyndak never made any call to the ISCF to even inquire what the ISCF's intentions were at this time or even what role they had planned to play in the event. Zmyndak didn't even know who the ISCF was.
Zmyndak's threat was because the show was being promoted as if it was an Amateur event when in reality, and advertised by the ISCF, as a Pro MMA event. The ISCF had never tried to hide the fact that this was being sanctioned by them as a PRO MMA Event. However, unknown to the ISCF, the promoters were trying to promote the event as an Amateur event with Pros, but the pros were not getting paid. Regardless of what was planned by promoter Darren Owen, the ISCF still scheduled it as a Pro event because once a fighter turns pro ANYWHERE, he is a Pro EVERYWHERE!
As the show date drew closer and closer, Colwood Mayor David Saunders came in and provided the promoters with a letter offering official municipal approval of the event, which allowed the Victoria Athletic Commission to step forward and okay the program. As one writer put it, "sending the Edmonton Commission back to their kennel." By doing so, it would appear that the promoters no longer needed the ISCF's services or officials. However, the show was still sanctioned by the ISCF and used all ISCF Officials. The ISCF Representative was Sean Pinvidic. The ISCF Referee was John Alessio. The ISCF Judges were Quentons Pongracz, Todd Steen & Kevin Psaila and the event Timekeeper was Greg Turnbull. The event results can still be seen on the ISCF August news page located HERE.
However, what the ISCF was unaware of was the statements Orest Zmyndak had made that was e-mailed out to Edmonton promoters and eventually made it's way to several public MMA Message Boards. His message included false statements about the ISCF that can and probably already have damaging effects to the ISCF. Here is a copy of the letter that Zmyndak e-mailed out from his Edmonton Combative Sports Commission e-mail account. Note the statement in RED below that couldn't be further from the truth! - (Spelling errors left in for authenticity)
This email is intended for all MMA
promoters licensed in Edmonton.
I have been asked by a number of fighters
and promoters about the legality of a proposed MMA show in Colwood, BC on Aug
22/2009 by Armageddon Fighting Championships.
Section 83 of the Crminal Code
of Canada specifically states that the contest must be "held with the
permission or under authority or similiar body established by or under the
authority of the legislature of a province for the control of sport within the
province" After speaking with members of the Parks and Rec Dept in Colwood,
it was determined that there is no commission in place and that the event
was sanctioned by a group called " International Sports Combat Federation"
This group is an American for profit organization, that claims on their website,
that for a fee we will come in and make your event run successfully. This
organization has no authority in Canada to govern an
event, nor in the US, as all combative sports events are governed by the state.
Therefore,
the Edmonton Combative Sports Commission considers this to be an unsanctioned
event and all fighters and officials that participate on it will not be granted
a license to work in Edmonton for one year. Furthermore, any currently licensed
fighter or official will be suspended and will be required to appear before the
board before any license renewal will be considered. This notice will be
forwarded to all commissions in Canada and would expect them to act in the same
manner.
Respectfully,
Orest Zmyndak, Executive Director Edmonton
Combative Sports Commission
780-915-3239
Email:
ozmyndak@telusplanet.net
It's too bad that Zmyndak's spouted out such comments without knowing who he was talking about. That e-mail was sent out prior to the event and it wasn't until after the event that the ISCF was informed about it.
Armageddon promoter Darren Owen later added to the
statement to clear himself of any wrong doing as well as support his position
with the city the event was to be held in and support the position of the ISCF. He stated,
"The
AFC was chosen over many applicants to hold an MMA event at the Bear Mountain
Arena, it seems that this has upset declined applicants. We have gone to great
lengths to make this a LEGAL event. I will gladly show anyone the "Letter
of Approval" from the City of Colwood. A City Council can legally adopt a
Sanctioning Body, if they do not have their own, such as the ISCFMMA which is an
INTERNATIONAL sanctioning body. As far as safety is concerned, the safety of
our fighters is and will always be our number one priority. We have more
requirements for medicals than "other" promotions. We have experienced
cage side doctors and knowledgable judges. We have the sanctioned official John
"The Natural" Alessio reffing the event, a respected, experienced
fighter who has reffereed Randy Coutures MMA Events. As well as a match maker /
promoter who "Actively Fights for the MFC" who puts the fighters
first, and the promotion second. I guess it's easy to call an event "Illegal"
and "Unsafe" when you're on the outside looking in. I wish everyone
the best in their future promotions and for the continued growth of this sport.
Respectfully, Darren Owen."
According to the law in Canada, what Owen's stated was 100% true and correct. The ways the rules and regulations are in Canada for fight sports reads like a well stocked smorgasbord. The rules vary from city to city, not to mention from Province to province. Some say that certain cities can sanction their own events while others have other laws in place. Some claim no commission is necessary, simply approval from the municipality, as per BC provincial law. No outside municipal commission can sanction an event in another municipality. While any municipality could appoint the commissioners of another municipal commission to oversee their own commission, it would still have to be their own commission... "What?" Confusing isn't it. There is no provincial commission and no province-wide standard for sanctioning, according to the law. It sings like the organization of the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) Although all state and province commissions belong to the ABC, it seems every state and province "Do their own thing" when it comes to rules on how to regulate their fight sports. What may be legal in one state is not in another... As if the contact changes by the climate. None of the ABC Commissions follow any "Standard or common rules" unless we are talking about Pro Boxing or Pro MMA. Even then, the regulations are all over the board with no uniformity at all among the commissions.
Needless to say, upon reading the ridiculous statement Zmyndak made, ISCF President Steve Fossum made a direct phone call to Zmyndak. During the conversation Zmyndak did a lot of back peddling and finally apologized. He also promised to make a public apology to be sent out by e-mail to all the people he had e-mailed the letter to. However, here we are at almost the end of September and it comes as no surprise that Zmyndak has yet to send out the letter. Fossum made yet another phone call to Zmyndak today that was greeted with his voicemail. Fossum wanted to find out if he was going to be true to his word and send out his apology or was it just another lie to keep the legal monkey off his back.
The problem is, by adding his signature line with, "Executive Director Edmonton Combative Sports Commission" it makes some individuals who know nothing about the entire issue here believe that people like Zmyndak are, "established Canadian Commissions" speaking the truth, which is a JOKE at best! Adding to this from the legal side, the fact that he signed it as the Executive Director of the Edmonton Combative Sports Commission places the Commission at full risk as well. ISCF's legal team have been ready with legal papers for several weeks now but Fossum wanted to give Zmyndak enough time to spell out his full apology. However, according to the legal team, Fossum's time is up and it appears the ISCF Legal wolves will finally be let out of the pen as they are more than ready to move forward with a major lawsuit against Zmyndak personally, as well as the Edmonton Combative Sports Commission.
(*) Sources
have informed us that although he is still listed as such on their website, Zmyndak
has been fired from his position as Executive Director of the
Edmonton Combative Sports Commission. The reasons
given were mixed but simple to say, he was not well liked or respected by his
peers. Making statements about the ISCF
above is just one example where Zmyndak has put his foot in his mouth
before researching who he is spatting about. We were told he now holds the title
of Technical Director, and is in charge of finding officials for the
commission, among other small tasks.
FRIDAY, September 25th, 2009, AT 7:00 PM/ PST
THIS
WEEKENDS
ISCF ACTION...
Mid Missouri MMA Association Presents
"MID-MO-FIGHT SHOW 14"
Moberly, Missouri, USA
MORE
ISCF ACTION THIS WEEKEND...
Tribal Wars Promotions Presents
"Proving Grounds"
Cherokee, North Carolina, USA
WEDNESDAY, September 23rd, 2009, AT 5:20 PM/ PST
Results From Friday Nite Fights Club's
"FRIDAY NITE FIGHT CHALLENGE 1"
September 11th, 2009 - Sullivan, Missouri, USA
THURSDAY, September 17th, 2009, AT 7:15 PM/ PST
Illinois Commission
Throws
In The Towel
NO SANCTIONING
REQUIRED FOR FIGHT SPORTS!
For those who didn't know, Illinois has ONCE AGAIN changed their stance on Amateur Fight Sports. This is the 5th change of Amateur Fight Sport regulation in the State of Illinois in the last 12 months. Sounds like the tone of a former Illinois politician who now resides in our Nations Capitol...
As it stands now, the Illinois State Commission is not requiring ANY Sanctioning of ANY Amateur fight sport except for amateur boxing which is overseen by USA Boxing.
That's right, things can go back to the "Wild West" fight days the upper Midwest was known for with unsanctioned fights where weight spreads were never followed, matchmaking often favored the hometown hero and other rules? Well, it was a "We'll do as best as we can, as long as it doesn't hurt my show" attitude. Officials selected from the promoters "Friend" list, the ringside doctor is a Chiropractor, and who knows what else.
Sure, there are a few VERY GOOD promoters we know in the upper Midwest who do not sanction their shows all the time yet do an outstanding job when regulating their own shows. Some of them include promoters such as Duke Roufus and Rob Zbilski. Both has sanctioned events with both IKF Kickboxing and ISCF MMA in the past and both have also regulated their own events. Rarely could you see a difference in fair and safe regulation. However, this can't be said for many other promoters who tend to cut corners by cutting costs and in the end, cut quality from safety and fairness.
According to a strong source, the Illinois Commission pulled their own plug on requiring an approved amateur sanctioning body to sanction amateur fight sports in their state. The source also noted that a staff member of the State pointed the finger at Kick International for the decision. The source noted that because of the many complaints about KICK, the State did not want to force promoters to have to use a sanctioning body such as them, so they pulled the plug on their own rule. Hearing the complaint story was nothing new to anyone. MANY in the fight sport business have a horror story to tell about KICK, and many come from some of their strongest supporters of the past.
So, what does all this mean? Who really knows. The Illinois Commission has NO CLUE themselves it seems. Many calls to them over the last few weeks have never even been returned. It's like they are trying to avoid talking about the situation because they are embarrassed about it. Well, they SHOULD BE. The Illinois Commission has ALWAYS been vocal for their dislike of both Kickboxing and MMA. Illinois is a STRONG Boxing State and had tried to do everything they could to keep MMA away before finally giving in and saying "YES" to the UFC like most states do and for the same reason... MONEY!
However, their ego's got in the way when appointing officials for the UFC event and needless to say, some officials on behalf of the Illinois Commission should have NEVER even been at ringside attempting to regulate a sport the knew little if nothing about. That one UFC event will most likely be the last for UFC in Illinois due to the issues with officials.
With all that being said, the final rule in Illinois now is, "There are no mandatory Amateur Sanctioning Requirements for the State of Illinois for Amateur MMA or Kickboxing events. Events DO NOT need to be Sanctioned or Overseen By Anyone."
THIS
WEEKENDS
ISCF ACTION...
GYF ENTERTAINMENT PRESENTS
TUFF
TUFF Tidewater Female
Fighting
Norfolk, Virginia, USA
ISCF RESULTS...
Results From Chin Ckek Production's
BATTLE FOR LARAMIE 3 - AMERICAN PRIDE
"Tribute To The Fallen"
September 11th, 2009 - Laramie, Wyoming, USA
MORE
ISCF RESULTS...
Results From 108 Promotions'
"AUTUMN REIGN"
September 12th, 2009 - Kansas City, Missouri,
USA
MORE
ISCF RESULTS...
Results From TRUE FIGHT FAN'S
"Clash in the Cage 42"
September 4th, 2009 - Grain Valley, Missouri,
USA
MONDAY, September 14th, 2009, AT 11:30 PM/ PST
Results From Combat In The Cage Inc.'s
"6th OFFENSE"
September 12th, 2009 - Leesburg, Virginia, USA
FRIDAY, September 11th, 2009, AT 9:00 AM/ PST
Where were you when the
world stop turning on that September day From the Song, "WHERE WERE YOU" by Alan Jackson - - - - |
THURSDAY, September 10th, 2009, AT 4:20 PM/PST
THIS
WEEKENDS
ISCF ACTION...
Chin Ckek Production Presents
BATTLE FOR LARAMIE 3 - AMERICAN PRIDE
"Tribute To The Fallen"
Laramie, Wyoming, USA
ISCF AMATEUR WYOMING STATE WELTERWEIGHT TITLE
*DEFENSE
*Lenny Atkinson
VS
Danny August
ISCF AMATEUR WYOMING
STATE MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE
Joe
Miles VS Rodger Prado
ISCF AMATEUR WYOMING
STATE BANTAMWEIGHT TITLE
Dusty
Davis VS Dameon Baker
MORE
ISCF ACTION THIS WEEKEND...
Friday Nite Fights Club Presents
"FRIDAY NITE FIGHT CHALLENGE 1"
Sullivan, Missouri, USA
MORE
ISCF ACTION THIS WEEKEND...
108 Promotions LLC Presents
"AUTUMN REIGN"
Kansas City, Missouri, USA
MORE
ISCF ACTION THIS WEEKEND...
Combat In The Cage Inc. Presents
"6th OFFENSE"
Leesburg, Virginia, USA
WEDNESDAY,
September 9th, 2009, AT 11:20 AM/PST
Results From High Octane Fighting Championships'
"HOFC Fight Night Missouri 1"
Friday, September 4th, 2009 - Caruthersville,
Missouri, USA
By ISCF Representative Robert Geiser:
SUNDAY, September 6th, 2009, AT 9:10 AM/PST
Results From Stand Up Fighters'
"INITIAL IMPACT"
September 5th, 2009 - Roseville, California,
USA
ISCF Last night, there was some ISCF History made that has a direct relationship to the ISCF's sister organization for Kickboxing, the IKF, International Kickboxing Federation. The first ever "California" ISCF Title bouts took place last night in the exact same venue where the IKF held it's first ever sanctioned event back in August of 1992, Jones Hall at the Placer County Fairgrounds in Roseville, California, USA. The two titles did not disapoint either. BOTH fights were outstanding fights and in the end, the first ever ISCF California State title holders were John Corstorphine who won the ISCF Pro MMA California State Welterweight Title and Nolan Sules who won the ISCF Pro MMA California State Lightweight Title. Here are the nights results
FRIDAY, September 4th, 2009, AT 1:25 PM/PST
High Octane Fighting Championships Presents
Stand Up Fighters Present
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ISCF - EVENTS - NEWS - GYMS - RANKINGS - RULES - SANCTIONING - JOINING ISCF - WEIGHT CLASSES - E-Mail |