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To begin with, this is not about the ISCF wanting to Power over a Promoters Event. This is about making MMA more Professional and having accountability towards rules and regulations related to the sport of Mixed Martial Arts. As you all know, there are MANY MMA Promotional Companies
around the world. However, there are not many, if any "TRUE" - "Non
Promoting" MMA Sanctioning Bodies like the ISCF.
The ISCF is often asked To begin with, MMA is a sport that has a different status in many states by each states Athletic or Boxing Commission. Some State Commissions regulate it on only a Professional level such as California and Florida and ban Amateur events. Some states have let MMA go unregulated ever since it became a sport. States such as Alabama, South Dakota and Wyoming do not even have Athletic Commissions. However over the past several years the ISCF has been called upon by either state Commissions or MMA Promoters to step in and assist in regulating MMA in their states. In some states such as Georgia, Missouri and Illinois, MMA was about to be banned. However, when the ISCF team stepped in and made our duties known, MMA in these states became legal. The State boxing Commission of Georgia took over regulation of all MMA in May of 2007 and in Missouri, the State Boxing Commission took over Pro MMA in late 2007. Promoters wanting to promote Amateur MMA events in states such as Virginia, Missouri and Illinois, must have their events Sanctioned by a sanctioning body such as the ISCF to assure the proper safety rules and regulations are followed throughout the event. There are other Kickboxing Sanctioning bodies that claim to offer sanctioning for MMA. However, after a closer look at these organizations you will see they have only added the sport of MMA to their letters for financial gain and not to truly help the sport. Some even use a "Promotional Company" of MMA to be their leaders for their so called MMA sanctioning. Few, if any of them, actually have set rules and regulations for MMA bouts, officials and events let alone legit rankings and Champions. In other words, they have tried to invent just another way to take a promoters money without offering anything but letters to the paying promoter. This is not what the ISCF was created for. The ISCF is NOT a promotional company. You will never compete against the ISCF for promotional success. The ISCF is a non promoting, neutral sanctioning body. Like our sister organization for Kickboxing, the IKF (International Kickboxing Federation) some of the many things we offer are true Amateur and Professional rankings and real Champions. A full and detailed set of rules and regulations along with news and schedules of upcoming ISCF sanctioned MMA events.
PROVIDING MISSOURI In the Fall of 2007 the State of Missouri finally past a law to allow Professional MMA which is now overseen by the State Boxing Commission.
GEORGIA Back then, the Georgia State Boxing Commission went on record saying they do not like MMA. They didn't want to give an actual reason why, but in time, we discovered why. What seemed like a gallant effort for "Safety" turned out to be more "Political" than safety minded. The Georgia State Boxing Commission did not have good intentions in mind during their cause. They wanted to ban and control it and not have any sanctioning bodies play a part in the sport such as the ISCF. They didn't want to give an actual reason why at the time, but in time, like the reasons they didn't like MMA, we eventually discovered why. The reason? The Georgia State Boxing Commission wanted to help their Boxing Promoters because MMA was becoming more and more fan popular than boxing and taking more and more sponsorship $$ from their good "friends" who promote Boxing. Turned out, some on the Georgia Commission had their hands in more things than just the commission. (This all came out sometime later, so we are not just making this up). MMA needed a group that was FOR them. Enter the efforts of Mike Carlson (R) his MMA Associates in Georgia with the supportive efforts of the ISCF. To read about this in detail, Click Here. However, these efforts were soon to be defeated. Sadly, in May of 2007, the newly appointed Executive Director and Secretary for the commission and former accountant clerk Patrick Kelly Farr Jr. took over regulation of Amateur and Pro MMA in Georgia. Since the State "Boxing" commission stepped in and took over, Georgia has never been the same. Farr made up several "Stories" (Some he made-up to tell several commission people later at the -2007- ABC Meeting, who later expressed their disbeliefs at his accusations and attacks on the ISCF to members of the ISCF) Farr wanted to make the ISCF look like the evil monopoly for mma in Georgia. However, what he forgot to add was that by 2006, other sanctioning bodies were allowed to sanction MMA in Georgia, without the use of the State Commission. THESE other sanctioning organizations made MANY mistakes, allowed a lot to "Slip-by" and in the end, gave Farr and others enough items to attack the current system that was working perfectly fine. However, they had a problem. They had factual documentation of the other sanctioning organizations making mistakes, but only one on the ISCF. In the one case, it related to a referee working an ISCF Event. After being done as a referee, he stepped down, took off his officials shirt and helped corner for one of his fighters. This was the only FACTUAL issue Farr had with the ISCF. However, from what we have been told, he has made up a lot more untruthful BS to try and make it look like "HE" saved mma in Georgia. He knew if he could make "ALL" the sanctioning bodies look bad, "HE" would step into a sport he knew NOTHING about, and look like the knight in shining armor who saved the day. Well, his plan worked, and before we knew what dirty politics he was playing, it was too late, the State took over and kicked all the sanctioning bodies out for amateur and pro mma. So has MMA been better in Georgia? Absolutely not. Years prior, MMA was a booming economy for the many people being hired to work these events in the State. However the number of MMA events in Georgia dropped of tremendously. From May 2006 to December 2006 the State of Georgia saw over 70 MMA Events (from all sanctioning bodies). With Farr's Commission in charge, which started May 1st, 2007 to December 2007, the State of Georgia saw 18 MMA events, and only "6" Professional Boxing show. A "FARR" cry from it's previous success... Especially for the Amateurs... Adding to this, during this time, the State of Georgia was not providing true SAFETY to the MMA Fighters. After learning what Farr and those in politics had did to get the law to pass for the State, NONE of the previous "Qualified and Certified" mma officials from any the other sanctioning organizations wanted to work for Farr and the State. So instead of asking for help, since he knew nothing of the sport, he simply took in whomever wanted to be a referee, judge, whatever, to help him regulate MMA under his watch. During this time they had "2" MMA Referees, neither of which were ever an approved by the ISCF or any association as Amateur or Pro MMA Referees. Since then, they have added 2-3 more, and again, neither of which have been approved by the ISCF or any association as Amateur or Pro MMA Referees. In Georgia, it wasn't about SAFETY... it was Politics, Power and Money. |
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