Martial Arts Professional Magazine

The Athletic Commission of the province of Quebec may sanction mixed martial arts events (the Ultimate Fighting Championship drew its biggest crowd ever at UFC 85 in Montreal), but not the province of Ontario; or so five men discovered who were charged with staging an illegal prizefight in Ottawa, the nation’s capitol, located in Ontario.

Ontario Athletics Commissioner Ken Hayashi explained, “MMA is not a boxing contest. “They’re not in a boxing ring, they wear open gloves, they can kick to the legs, they can knee, they can elbow, and they can choke. All those techniques are illegal in a boxing contest.”
For many MMA enthusiasts, this is just another example of the popularity of the sport growing faster than governments and athletic governing bodies can react and change what many considered outdated policies.