The Boston City Council passed a resolution today that will ban minors from attending a mixed martial arts events in Boston.
The ordinance was brought up by Council President Steve Murphy and his original plan was for the ban of anyone under 18 years old.
The resolution that was pass today unanimously called for children under the age of 16 years old be prohibited from attending live amateur and professional cage fighting events in the City of Boston unless accompanied by an adult.
After the news of the new law in Boston being passed, the UFC released a statement and the organization is shocked that Murphy would present such a misleading document for consideration to the city council and hopes the City Council will revoke this law.
The non-binding resolution merely concludes that the city of Boston should follow existing state law. However, the Ultimate Fighting Championship is extremely disappointed that the non-binding resolution is filled with blatant inaccuracies and falsehoods. The UFC organization finds it shocking that Councilor Murphy would present such a misleading document for consideration to the City Council.
UFC is proud of the recent event it put on at the TD Garden, which was televised around the world. By all measures, the event was a resounding success, generating millions of dollars in economic benefit for the community and cast the great city of Boston in a positive light.
Councilor Murphy’s resolution demonstrates a complete lack of understanding about what mixed martial arts is, the amazing world class athletes that compete in the sport, and the many benefits it brings to a community. There is clearly a reason why MMA is one of the fastest growing sports in the world. Consequently, it is unfortunate that Councilor Murphy’s actions caused the Boston City Council to be manipulated by a union based in Las Vegas, Nevada. We would hope that the City Council, once it learns the truth about MMA and all of the positive aspects of the sport, would consider revoking this non-binding resolution.
After last Saturday night’s fight card, UFC President Dana White was asked if his organization would be returning to Boston and said they would. If the City Council does not revoke this new law, the UFC may elect to not return to the city.