Official mixed martial arts sanctioning is needed to stop people from taking matters into their own hands... literally.

The popularity of mixed martial arts comes with a price to pay. While it may not be for everyone, there are those who live and breathe with the sport, and when they cannot legally compete in a regulated format, they resort to the dangerous world of underground fights. With Friday's news of a police raid on a Brantford, Ont., home to shut down an "illegal prize fight," questions have arisen as to whether the government can help to prevent these types of violent activities.

As time goes by, I hear more and more about underground events, backyard brawls and promotions putting on their own events without being overseen by a government sanctioning body. I do not condone the behaviour of putting on illegal prize fights, as I am a firm believer that all combat sports events should be regulated by an athletic commission.

There should be a set of defined rules for athletes to follow, as well as educated and qualified referees, judges and inspectors. There should be paramedics on site for the safety of the fighters and a second group on call, should the original one need to take a fighter to a nearby hospital.

But when a government body refuses to create a simple system whereby would-be combat sports athletes have an opportunity to practise, perform and test themselves in sanctioned competition, a void is created which increasingly gets filled by people taking matters into their own hands… literally. We live in a democratic society and like it or not, when the government doesn't give the people what they want, the people may just do it anyway. In doing so, chaos may ensue.

There is an increasing demand in cities like Vancouver and the whole province of Ontario whereby fans and athletes alike want to see MMA events on their home soil. They want to see quality fights, safe fights as well as well run promotions. With the municipal and provincial governments denying these people the right to watch and compete, many of them are bypassing the laws and doing it anyway. The inherent risk of their frustration and patience leads to illegal prize fights, with my fear that one day someone is going to get seriously injured.

Before that day comes, the government has a chance to stop or at least curb these illegal "events" while suppressing this massive need for which the public clamours. Nobody is asking the athletic commissions to reinvent the wheel. The foundation has already been built by their fellow commissions across North America, as we see on a regular basis by the states of Nevada, New Jersey and Ohio. If councils representing Vancouver and Ontario want to search within Canada, there are excellent MMA platforms to emulate in the cities of Calgary, Edmonton as well the legislation adhered to in the province of Quebec.

Being a director in both the Canadian and Ontario Amateur Mixed Martial Arts Associations, I see and hear firsthand how badly people wish they could have some sort of avenue to compete in MMA. I have been preaching an amateur MMA system in Ontario, similar to sports like boxing, karate, tae kwon do, judo and wrestling -- a medium where teenagers, adults and recreational athletes are given a chance to compete in MMA, while seeing if one day the world of professional MMA is something they may want to consider.

If done correctly, the sport can be practised in a safe manner, yielding excellent results from a fitness standpoint, while developing champions along the way. When MMA is properly sanctioned and regulated, injuries are few and far between, as is evidenced by a recent study printed in the

Journal of Sports Science and Medicine. The study was conducted by the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

The information found within the study is truly mind-blowing when one considers the impeccable safety record of mixed martial arts. But the info contained was gathered from professional MMA events, not underground prize fights and backyard brawls. I doubt there any studies that show what happens at these events and I hope we never have to find out.

The sport of Mixed Martial Arts was born in North America in late 1993. In the past 15 years, it has evolved with a strict set of rules, guidelines, weight classes and qualifications for all those participating inside or outside of the competition area. Why, after a decade and a half have some governments not yet adopted these sets of rules and regulations?

Why must the residents and athletes in these cities and provinces be forced to suffer through the lackadaisical approach that some governments have while completely turning a blind eye to a legitimate sport -- in essence, inadvertently encouraging illegally prize fights?

If the government is responsible for the people, why not give them what they want? Why not try to stop or at least significantly diminish participation in illegal events by simply sanctioning and regulating a sport that is already recognized by the vast majority of other major cities, states, provinces and their respected commissions? Should someone get seriously injured or even die from these illegal events, can any of the blame fall onto the hands of our elected officials?

While there is much more to the safety aspect of preventing underground fights, the safety of its competitors is of primary concern. Mixed martial arts is big business nowadays, but the money should never take precedent over a well run, organized, sanctioned and regulated MMA event.

For more info, I encourage everyone to visit www.mmafacts.com.