West Virginia has yet to legalize our beloved sport, it also happens to be the state I was born in. Steve Allred is the chairman of the state athletic commission and doesn't consider MMA a sport at all. Below you will find a quote from this politician that is all too familiar to MMA fans.
From Jake Rossen's Sherdog Blog
According to the State Journal, lawmakers could potentially introduce a bill regulating the sport on Jan. 13 -- but it would come over the simpering of athletic commission chairman Steve Allred.
"Cutting off someone's oxygen supply until they pass out...It's no way a sport," he told the paper. “It is assault and battery."
After doing some research on Mr. Allred it is very obvious that he is the typical old "boxing guy". In fact he was a very good amateur boxer, but had a short-lived unsuccessful professional career and was KO'd by Ramzi Hassan in his last bout in June of 1985.
Rossen brings up a good point in that West Virginia allows Toughman which is a dangerous freak show to say the least. To call MMA "assault and battery" is on the Bob Arum level of stupidity about our beloved sport. This guy is one of those politicians and boxing enthusiast who I can almost guarantee has never actually sat down and watched the skill and intricacies of an MMA fight.
It's just another example of someone who is uneducated about mixed martial arts refusing to embrace it because of old boxing ties. Finally Rossen sums it up by pointing out that in Judo you get choked out and oh by the way Judo is in the Olympics.
Do us all a favor Mr. Allred go watch some fights and you'll see amazing things like the bowling ball size heart of Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera, the incredible skill and grace of Anderson Silva, the ridiculous domination that GSP, Fedor and BJ Penn exhibit. After you see some of these things then talk to us about how MMA isn't a sport.
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