Cage fighting no-holds-barred sport

Critics call it "Gladiator minus the lions."

Cage fighting, a sport that was illegal in all 50 states in 2000, was scheduled to come to the Nevada County Fairgrounds on Dec. 2. Because of a paperwork snafu, Grass Valley promoter and gym owner Jason Perry has rescheduled the event for Feb. 17, 2007.

"I think a lot of people are going to enjoy the event," said Perry. He said that he wants to introduce the sport to Nevada County and give local fighters an opportunity "to branch out and try to make a reputation for Nevada County."

Perry learned last Monday that his application for a promoter's license with the California State Athletic Commission had been denied. In the meantime, he had already pasted fliers for the event all over town.

Perry's application was denied because it was late and incomplete, lacking the required $1,000 deposit, according to CSAC Executive Officer Armando Garcia.

"I couldn't properly staff the event," Garcia said. "I assured (Perry) I would help him promote events in the area next year."

The Feb. 17 event will feature 13 matches and six local fighters, Perry said. Fairgrounds manager Ed Scofield estimates the Main Street center where the fighting will take place will seat 700 to 1,000 people. Tickets prices will range from $50 to $100.



Local fighters high on the sport

When cage fighting, also known as mixed martial arts, was introduced by an organization called Ultimate Fighting Championship in the early 1990s, it gained notoriety as a blood sport. The no-holds-barred style combines boxing, kickboxing, wrestling and martial arts moves.

As more and more states banned the sport, fighters and promoters in the United States traveled to Mexico and Native American reservations, where the matches were legal.

In 2001, the UFC regrouped, adopting stricter rules for the sport. California was the 20th state to allow mixed martial arts events.

In his first cage fight, Grass Valley resident James Bancroft made a mistake in the third round and ended up in a choke hold with a guy knocking his head through the bottom of the cage.

"Rather than getting knocked out, I decided to submit" said Bancroft, 28, who had studied jujitsu before jumping into the cage. He lost the match but gained a passion.

"Once you start doing something like this, it becomes part of your life. It's the most intense feeling I've ever felt doing anything," Bancroft said.

Since last spring, Bancroft has fought in three MMA bouts and is scheduled to fight Feb. 17.

The California State Athletic Commission first allowed cage fighting in December 2005.

The rules for matches in California prohibit head-butting, stomping, kicking the opponent in the head and putting fingers in an opponent's mouth, among other restrictions.

Each fight lasts three three-to-five-minute rounds, is officiated by a referee and attended by a doctor. A fighter loses if he taps out verbally or physically (by tapping his partner's chest), if a referee calls the contest, if he scores less points than his opponent or if he is knocked unconscious. Fighters have to have an AIDS test and pass a physical examination.

The term "cage fighting" originates from the fence that wraps around the octagon-shaped ring to prevent the fighters from rolling onto the audience.

The first sanctioned cage-fighting event in California packed more than 18,000 fans into San Jose's HP Pavilion. Two weeks ago, a UFC championship event at Arco Arena in Sacramento drew more than 15,000 spectators.

Perry, 35, a trainer and a professional fighter, has studied martial arts for 23 years and has competed in more than 380 pankration (a Greek form of wrestling) and jujitsu fights in the U.S. and Mexico. With referees and doctors present, the sport is safe, Perry said.

The most common injury that Perry has seen is a broken nose, he said.

Perry likes the sport because of its versatility, combining the strength of wrestling, the power of boxing and the quickness of martial arts.

"To be a cage fighter, you have to be a stand-up fighter, a middle fighter and a ground fighter," said Perry. If the other guy has any of the three advantages on you and you've only got one, you'd better be really good at that one."

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To contact staff writer Jill Bauerle, e-mail jillb@theunion.com or call 477-4219.