Dunk goes to the mat for 'ultimate fighting'
10:49 AM Fri, Feb 29, 2008 | Permalink
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PROVIDENCE -- The operators of the Dunkin' Donuts Center are lobbying the legislature to permit ultimate fighting in Rhode Island. Lawrence J. Lepore, who runs the arena for the Rhode Island Convention Center Authority, testified in defense of the controversial sport at a hearing of the House Corporations Committee on Tuesday. In an interview, Lepore said ultimate fighting events could fill the Dunk. "There's an opportunity to do a number of shows," he said. "We're hoping the law changes." On Jan. 30, Rep. John J. McCauley Jr., D-Providence, filed legislation that would amend a ban on the sport, also known as mixed martial arts. Lepore said there was "no opposition" to the bill at Tuesday's hearing. It is also being backed by a group of event promoters, he said. But at the hearing, the House Corporations Committee Committee voted to hold the legislation for further study, according to state records. Ultimate fighting matches are shown on pay-per-view TV channels and can be seen live in several other states such as Connecticut, where the Mohegan Sun casino frequently hosts events, Lepore said. The origins of ultimate fighting have been traced to the Olympic Games of 648 B.C., when participants engaged in bloody battles, according to a 2005 Providence Journal story by Seth McLaughlin. In those days, it was known as pankration, which in Greek means "all powers," a reference to the variety of techniques used in the sport. Today, mixed martial-arts fighters continue to train in diverse styles, including jiu-jitsu, tae kwon do, karate, boxing, Muay Thai, wrestling and kick-boxing, McLaughlin reported. High-profile ultimate fighting events were first staged in the U.S. in 1993, when the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) started in Las Vegas. "The fights were hyped as no-holds barred, and the rule book was thin. There were no weight classes, no time limits and no mandatory safety equipment. Fighters couldn't eye-gouge, bite or fish-hook -- hook an opponent's mouth with a finger -- but punches, joint locks, chokeholds, kicks, elbow strikes, knee strikes and submission holds were fair game," McLaughlin reported. In Rhode Island, the Department of Business Regulation, which oversees boxing, kickboxing and wrestling events, has declined to license mixed martial-arts. The sport is banned in many places, where it is considered excessively brutal. 
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