The Canadian fight promotion Colosseo Championship Fighting last year received permission from the Edmonton Combative Sports Commission (ECSC) to use the ruleset of the Japan-based promotion DREAM, which allows knees to the head of a grounded opponent, among other deviations from the Unified Rules that are a cornerstone of the succeess of Mixed Martial Arts. Now Coloeso promoter Pasqualino Santoro, is upping the ante with his plan to put on an event using Pride rules, including soccer kicks and stomps to the face.
However, ECSC executive director Pat Reid, who okayed the 2010 DREAM-rules show, said he would refuse to sanction the Pride-rules Coloseo event. Unfortunately, Reid has no authority over shows taking place outside the ECSC’s jurisdiction, nor does the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC), to which the ECSC belongs.
Instead Colosseo will be sanctioned by the International Combative Sports Association, a commission not affiliated with the ABC.
“Though we might not be in any standing with the American boxing and wrestling commission who has no authority in Canada,” wrote ICSA Executive Director Chris Townsend to MMAJunkie, “this is not a concern to us, as we are in no way going to be infringing on Mr. Santoro’s right to produce a product that is safe for fighters, fans and his staff and our commission staff.
“To our knowledge of mixed martial arts, PRIDE Fighting Championship was sold to Zuffa, not shut down due to how dangerous the rules were supposedly.”
Colosseo promoter Pasqualino Santoro shows no remorse for promoting an event that violates the Unified Rules. Indeed, he seemed eager to do so.
“I don’t even watch a UFC event now because they’re so boring,” Santoro said. “I’d rather watch a DREAM event than a UFC event. And with all the stuff going on in Japan right now, I don’t see a big problem with honoring the Japanese people by going with PRIDE rules.
“I can do that because I live in a country where I’m allowed to do that.”
“If no one wants to support me, they don’t have to. I can go on my own and do my own thing. As long as the fighters get paid and they’re safe, that’s all that matters.”
“Would you go to the ground if you’re a jiu-jitsu guy knowing full well that you could get kicked in the head? What would you do? You’d stand up. There were more knockouts in the first 28 PRIDEs than there were in the UFC.”
Santoro admitted that the PRIDE rules are “a little barbaric,” but went on to say, “Close your eyes. What’s barbaric about it? We don’t have elbows. Which is good, right? Get rid of the elbows. They just cut fighters. Those guys are in there to fight. They’re not in there to do ballet.”
ABC President Tim Lueckenhoff said Coloseo will be entered into the official database – maintained on the popular website mixedmartialarts.com – as unsanctioned, and that fighters on the card will have a note attached to their record directing commission doctors to check more thoroughly for injuries in their next sanctioned bout. The ECS’s Reid went a step further, and will will enter a 90-day suspension for all fighters who participat.
The ABC’s Lueckenhoff said in closing “It’s kind of like baseball and football. Regardless of where you go, they’re the same. I think it just confuses the public. I think what our members are trying to do is grow the sport … (The PRIDE ruleset) has nothing to do with the sport. It’s all about being greedy and trying to make more money.”
