mixed martial arts

Greeks lawyer speaks his mind on Vernon Mixed Martial Arts ban

VERNON - Vernon City council shouldn't be afraid of any gang involved in mixed martial—there’s not enough money in for them. You can take that from a man who knows a thing or two about organized crime. William Mastop, the former lawyer convicted of helping a notorious Vernon gang known as the Greeks, was the...

Have your say on Vernon Mixed Martial Arts ban

VERNON - This is your chance to tell Vernon City Hall what you think about a ban on Mixed Martial Arts. The city is providing an opportunity for public input Monday at the start of its regular council meeting. The city has already given first readings to the bylaw — which would ban professional MMA...

Public can weigh in on Mixed Martial Arts ban

VERNON - The public will soon get a chance to provide input on a controversial Mixed Martial Arts bylaw. The City of Vernon has given first readings to the bylaw, which would ban professional MMA events. Members of the public can have their say on the bylaw at the start of the Sept. 8 council...

Mixed Martial Arts ban won’t affect local youth

VERNON - Kids can compete in mixed martial arts tournaments in Vernon, but not professional fighters. That’s the stance Vernon councillors took Monday when endorsing a ban on mixed martial arts (MMA) contests in the city. Council postponed dealing with the proposed bylaw last month because of concern the wording was too all-encompassing. Coun. Mary...

Vernon councillors backtrack on mixed martial arts ban

VERNON - Vernon councillors are backing down on a decision to ban mixed martial arts events. There’s concern the wording of the ban would prohibit youths from participating in competitions, which was not the initial intent. “We have many young kids that are involved in various martial arts, almost like gym classes they do downtown,”...

PROSKIW: Emotion has no place in a fight

KELOWNA - I saw my first UFC fight in 1995, only two years after it launched in the U.S. I found the VHS tape tucked away on the bottom shelf of the sports section at a 24-hour video rental store that closed down a decade ago. I was 17 and the description on the back...

Vernon’s justification for MMA ban is a secret

POLICE REPORT TO COUNCIL HELD BEHIND CLOSED DOORS VERNON - City officials and the police say their hands are tied when it comes to sharing the information behind allegations that mixed martial arts events are connected to organized crime. Vernon council has asked staff to prepare a bylaw banning mixed martial arts (MMA) events in...

Martial Arts community kicks back at “offensive” remarks by Vernon council

VERNON - The mixed martial arts community is in an uproar over what they feel were offensive and uneducated comments made about their sport earlier this week by Vernon councillors. The City of Vernon wants to ban mixed martial arts (MMA) events because, as Coun. Bob Spiers put it, “the association with the type of...

Vernon drafts ban on mixed martial arts

VERNON - Vernon is hitting mixed martial arts where it hurts. City council is moving forward with the creation of a bylaw that would ban Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) events within municipal limits. “We don’t need them,” Coun. Bob Spiers says. “It’s just the association with the type of people that run those events and...