Death won't change mixed martial arts
Regulation needed, athletics commssioner says
By Lee Greenberg, Ottawa Citizen January 3, 2012
The death of a U.S. man who was training in mixed martial arts will not affect Ontario's decision to legalize that form of fighting.
"At this point, I don't think it will be an issue here," Ontario athletics commissioner Ken Hayashi told the Citizen Monday in an emailed statement.
Salvador Flamenco, 38, died from blunt head trauma after sparring with another man in Vancouver, Washington, in mid-December, according to police.
Flamenco, a Chicago resident, trained in MMA solely for fitness.
An airline flight attendant who travelled for free, he had traversed the country for a two-day sparring session in the basement of an unnamed man's house. The two were training in wrestling and boxing, according to multiple news sources.
At some point during the second day of training, on Dec. 16, Flamenco complained of dizziness, began vomiting and was rushed to hospital.
Police say he died a short time later.
A coroner ruled the death a homicide, prompting a police investigation, said a spokesman for the Clark County Medical Examiner's Office Monday. That probe is ongoing.
A spokesman for the province said Flamenco's death underscored the importance of regulating fights.
"There's certainly no getting around the fact that mixed martial arts is an inherently dangerous sport," said Richard Hustwick.
In order to fight professionally in Ontario, MMA combatants must submit test results for the head, brain, heart and eyes to make sure they are free of heart issues, concussions, brain bleeds and torn retinas, Hustwick said.
The athletics commissioner can also nix any fight deemed to be a mismatch.
Training for the sport is unregulated, however.
"It'd be like me calling you up and saying come over to my place and let's fight," he said. "There's no role for the office of the athletics commissioner in that scenario."
Hustwick says Ontario's ministry of consumer services is aware of at least two deaths that stemmed from MMA fights - one in the U.S. and another in Ukraine. Both deaths occurred "a number of years ago," said Hustwick.
Ontario recently legalized MMA events, becoming one of the last major North American jurisdictions to do so.
At the time, a government official said regulation was the only way authorities could "control the safety of competitors," and added that the fights could also act as an economic stimulant for host communities.
The first legal Ontario fight events took place in April 2011. There have been 14 sanctioned MMA events across the province since then.
Hayashi, who, as the province's athletics commissioner, is responsible for sanctioning MMA events, said he wasn't aware of Flamenco's death until informed by the Citizen.