Fight Club Junior: Cage Fighting for Kids
When two dogs are in a cage to fight each other, it’s illegal.
When two children are in a cage to fight each other, it’s part of the fastest growing sport in America: “ultimate fighting.”
Also known as cage fighting or mixed martial arts, ultimate fighting is a no-holds-barred combo of wrestling, boxing, and martial arts that is increasingly popular, often bloody, and usually staged in a cage.
Now, in the sport’s latest spin-off, kids as young as six are brawling in cages, using kicks, body blows, and choke holds in a contest of physical submission.
Unlike adults who engage in ultimate fighting, kids wear padding and head gear. And also unlike adults, kids who cage-fight can only do so with the consent and support of their parents, who say the violent fighting is no more dangerous than wrestling and believe it teaches skills like discipline, respect, responsibility, and control.
“It’s wonderful,” said a Missouri mother who encourages her 10 and 14 year old sons in ultimate fighting. “They build such good character and good friendships, and that’s what you need to further yourself in life.”
But while some applaud, others are appalled. “I have parents who kind of scare me sometimes,” said the owner of a Massachusetts gym where kids train in ultimate fighting. “Moms and dads letting their kids choke them just for practice reasons. The days of Dad throwing a ball with little Billy are over.”
Medical experts are also concerned about the pummeling kids endure in cage fighting, saying it can cause significant injuries to the neck and bones.
There are no standardized laws governing children’s cage fighting matches in the U.S. Massachusetts and Missouri allow youth contests, while other states ban the practice or don’t regulate it at all. “I think it borders on child abuse,” said a Missouri legislator who has introduced a bill to ban ultimate fighting for children in that state.
As a spectator sport, ultimate fighting continues to grow, its ever-larger TV audiences turning cage combat into a mega-millions fight club, with an increasingly younger face. “I daydream during school,” said one 14 year old ultimate fighter, “of me being in the cage with everybody watching me on TV.”
Tell us what you think: Is cage fighting for kids a responsible sport? Should anyone be responsible for regulating it—parents?…the government? Do viewers of ultimate fighting play a role in the sports increasing appeal to children?
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Let me get this straight…rooster fights, dog fights are illegal, umm…animal right’s activists and organizations will breath down your neck if you even pull a piece of fur out of an animal. If you spank your child there’s the potential of Social Services being at your door and taking your child away, and somehow this is an okay thing to do to our kids. That Missouri legislator is right, it does border on child abuse. There’s a reason why some sports like wrestling are started at a certain age. Do they honestly want to see their child someday look like those men? I noticed one kid only concern was to be on TV someday, I wonder why he thinks it’s so important to be on TV! I really feel bad for these kids, cause you know it’s going to be taken out in the kindergarten play yard.
Kina Barnum | 1 year, 6 months ago
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Kina, is right, our civilization is crumbling!
The Roman empire crumbled, Greek, Persian, Babylonian all of them at the end of their glory became hungry for spectacles and received pleasure watching gladiators fight. Of nothing better to do people stand on their heads!
Our Christian civilization is disintegration because we’re not Christian anymore! When I see people embracing and petting their dogs like their children, and if asked, with a straight face will tell you that child-killing (abortion) is perfectly normal, it makes me sick.
I like animals, and am for protecting them from cruelty, but a human being is infinitely more precious than an animal because our soul lives eternally. God made us with an indestructible, invisible part of our being = soul.
viktor | 1 year, 6 months ago
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What of us?
What of us who are not Christian? Are my morals less important? How about the separation of church and state?
Lila DuPratt | 1 year, 6 months ago
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Seattle
Man will always find a way to brutalize himself & his fellows. The problem with letting children engage in intentionally violent sports (as opposed to those wherein violence might occur as side effect of the sport) is that it enforces the idea that violence solves all problems at a time in a child’s life when he/she has insufficient real-world experience to evaluate that philosophy.
The very rise of this sport in popularity indicates to me that it fulfills some need within our species, so appealing to humanity as a whole won’t reduce the violence.
Parents have shown that they will always have amongst themselves those who willingly abuse their children mentally, emotionally, and physically, so a laissez-faire approach to parental policing of this “sport” won’t reduce the violence done by it to children.
This leaves me with saying that only governmental regulation of the sport, crafted by compassionate minds, might be effective.
Liam Gwynn Sauer-Wooden | 1 year, 6 months ago
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Astounded!
WOW!! Adding on to KINA: the irony of kids fighting. The kids involved with the Jena 6 situation (both white and black) went through all kinds of stuff for a little school yard fight. Kids are suspended from school for fighting or even a threat to fight someone. A fight in public could land them in juvenile hall and/or with criminal charges. But make it inhumane by giving them tactical training in fighting, a cage, and a camera crew and call it OKAY?
Kids do this same kind of fighting on the streets and then post it on youtube for a little fame and all the country has uproar. But stick ‘em in a cage and call it disciplined entertainment? These people have outright LOST THEIR MINDS!!
These sports isolated alone are not nearly as dangerous as the combination of them with the mentality “by any means necessary”. Whatever happened to the good old days when you put your kid in soccer or football or simple karate for camaraderie? Ultimate fighting for adults is a blood sport not really even appropriate for adults let alone children. This needs to be banned or have an age limit of 18.
Mia | 1 year, 6 months ago
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Excuse me while I channel my grandfather...
While I do admit that 10 is a tad young for this type of fighting, I see no problem for a 14 year old.
My Grandfather’s best friend was a wonderful man by the name of Buck. When Buck died a few years ago, I went with my grandfather to his dear friend’s funeral. He told a story that I have taken with me and I wish to share with you now. (I’m going to quote Gramps as best as I can.)
“When I was 14, there was this boy in my homeroom class that I couldn’t stand. I didn’t know what it was about him, but he just grated on my nerves. One day, during gym class, this boy popped off with a smart aleck comment about one thing or another. Well, I’d had about enough of him and I socked him in the mouth. He hit me back and we tussled on the floor a bit. I gave him a fat lip and a bloody nose. He gave me a shiner that made me look like I got boot polish in my eye.
When I got home, my father looked at me, and simply said, `What does the other boy look like?’
I looked my dad square in the eye, a little afraid of what he might say, and said, `Well, pop. He’s out on the back porch and you can take a look at him yourself. May I give Buck a Coke’cola?’ My father laughed and grabbed three sodas from the ice box. My father told me later, that you can never really know the measure of a man until you’ve tusseled with him a bit and gained each others respect as fellow men.”
I am at an age to be getting married and settling down, and I want to find someone like my father and my grandfather. A man, who works eight hours a day, teaches my sons to play baseball, who could throw a punch if needed if it would defend me against would be attackers, and can fix my brakes.
Lila DuPratt | 1 year, 6 months ago
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My sentiment exactly, well except the part of finding a man to marry. I think if this sport wants to be viewed legitimetly, it needs to be regulated and an age cap has to be instilled. Considering the amount of contact that is involved, I think six is way too young. It’s no different than boxing, martial arts or wrestling. Each carries a higher risk of injuries than traditional sports (i.e football, baseball, basketball, soccer-or football to the rest of the world-). Each is essentially just a competition to see who inflicts more damage. As for it being child abuse, well that is an issue at the heart of any sport, activity, or competition. Whether it is beauty pageants, sports, or academics, parents will always push their kids to succeed, sometimes to an extreme. Will there be instances where kids will be severely hurt, both physically and emotionally? Probably, but thats a burden that these parents will have to face. At the same time, there will be kids who benefit greatly from it.
juan mendez | 1 year, 6 months ago
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Sick
While I understand that physical activities that can lead to violent behavior (like football) are condoned as healthy outlets, I think that putting children into a cage and letting them bash away at each other is mentally ill. I have no problem with children learning self defense, or joining into a sport that could lead to violence, but this particular situation just seems twisted and despicable
James Allard | 1 year, 6 months ago
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wow
I have a 17 year old son who is a cage fighter. He pretty much stays out of trouble and the normal fights most kids have to deal with in school, as i did. I also have a 2 yr old son we teach mma moves too, but there is no way I could see putting him in an actual fight at 10. Training at 10 fine, but not a fight. It sounds more like the parents are trying too hard, too fast and too soon.
tad davis | 1 year, 5 months ago
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Why
Venting anger may let off tension, may prove who is physically stronger and could possibly say who is more present to the greatest degree. Isn’t harming or aiming to physically injure another simply providing an opportunity to lessen the tendency to discuss problems? Teasing or mentally attempting to injure another is in the same field. Both aim to place emphasis on ranking, recognizing, and even building levels of differentiation between people. Consider the strengthening of egos which results. Does our world really need stronger egos? Were similarities to be explored instead, our egos would weaken their holds on us and true communication might be more common. Peace then possible.
Please consider all the ramifications both long term and short term of building and emphasizing our differences.
Beth Prenot | 1 year, 5 months ago
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