Local martial artists are mixing it up

"CageFest 4," a Mixed Martial Arts event that drew 3,000 fans to the Ted Constant Center in May, had all the trappings of a big-time professional event: bright lights, replay boards and fighters trading knees and elbows to the head. It was just like in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the major leagues of this rapidly growing sport.

There was one big difference, though: The fighters getting knocked out or "tapping out" after being placed in submission holds weren't getting paid for their pain.

"I've seen guys get their arms broken for free," said Mackens "Mack Da Menace" Semerzier, a 27-year-old former Marine who has been fighting as an amateur for a year and won his third bout by knockout at "CageFest 4."

Mixed Martial Arts is beginning to take off in South Hampton Roads and across Virginia, a trickle-down effect from the increasingly popular bouts combining boxing, wrestling and martial arts that fans watch on TV.

On a given weekend, there might be two or three shows scattered across the state, ranging from small promotions in Masonic temples and union halls to major shows in larger arenas that can draw 3,000 fans or more. At least three promoters have put on events in Hampton Roads.

The vast majority of the shows are amateur, unregulated by the state. That doesn't mean state officials aren't watching, though. Dave Holland, who oversees professional boxing, wrestling and martial arts for the state, has attended many of the amateur shows, mostly to investigate complaints that promoters are using professional fighters, he said.

"I've seen things that wouldn't be allowed if it was a regulated professional event," Holland said. "I've seen shows with no doctors. I've seen them using nurse practitioners. I've seen doctors that were chiropractors. I've seen shows with no EMTs."

Holland, who has no jurisdiction unless fighters are being paid, says those poorly run shows are the exceptions. Most shows are sanctioned by legitimate organizations, he said. Even among those organizations, though, there are differences in rules. The result can be varying degrees of risk for amateur fighters, who in some cases can apply to fight by filling out an application on a promoter's Web site.

Some organizations allow amateurs to throw knees and elbows to the head; some don't. Some allow knees, but not elbows.

"CageFest 4" was sanctioned by Global Combat Alliance, a Richmond-based company that regulates several promotions around the state with names like "Total Cage Combat," "Barbarian Fight Club" and "King of the Ring, Modern Gladiators." The company's founder, Rick McCoy, is a former pro fighter who sits on Holland's advisory board and is regarded as one of the top MMA coaches in the state.

"He's always been one of the people in Virginia that has wanted to make the sport safer," Holland said. "He's a very legitimate and credible person."

Indeed, one of the promoters of "CageFest 4, Chris Wiatt, said Global Combat Alliance requires pre-fight physicals, ringside doctors and other precautions that are almost identical to those mandated by the state for pro events. At one

"CageFest" event at Hampton University, GCA would not allow the show to start until an ambulance arrived, said Wiatt, the wrestling coach at Menchville High in Newport News.

While GCA's safety precautions closely mirror what the state requires for pro matches, so do the rules for amateur bouts sanctioned by GCA. That's why, for example, knees and elbows to the head are legal.

Others don't think amateurs should be allowed to use those maneuvers. Brian Crenshaw, one of the pioneers of the sport in Virginia, has been holding amateur and professional bouts in Richmond and elsewhere since 2001. For his amateur shows, he does not allow fighters to throw elbows or knees to the head and also requires oversized gloves.

Crenshaw draws a parallel to the different rules governing amateur and professional boxing. Amateurs, who are typically less experienced, should receive more protection, he said.

"It's like telling an amateur boxer he doesn't need headgear," he said. "In every sport, there are differences between amateurs and pros."

Still, walk into an amateur MMA event in Virginia and it can be hard to tell the difference. That's great for promoters, not so great for the fighters, Crenshaw said.

Don Bailey, a 1998 Great Bridge High graduate with eight amateur fights, said he has fought under different rules in Virginia and other states. At "CageFest 4," he knocked out his opponent in 13 seconds with knees to the head. He says he's planning to turn professional soon.

"If I'm going to fight by pro rules, I might as well get paid as a pro," Bailey said. "I think there are some guys who are so stoked to fight amateur, they forget someone's making a lot of money."

Wiatt said he and his business partners are ready to begin sharing some of the proceeds. After staging "CageFest 5" in Roanoke next month, he and his partners plan to put on "CageFestXtreme," the area's first professional MMA event, at the Constant Center in November.

"CageFestXtreme" won't look much different than the company's amateur shows, although he said expenses will be three or four times higher. It's a matter of making the numbers work.

"But if we're putting people in the stands, why be greedy with that money?" he said. "Let's turn some people pro."

Wiatt said his goal all along has been to grow the sport in Hampton Roads and across the state. That meant starting on the amateur level. Though fighters are not paid, Wiatt said the amateurs who fight on his cards get exposure and experience fighting in front of large crowds.

Amateur bouts are a necessary step for most aspiring pros, and "CageFest" screens its fighters before letting them in the cage, Wiatt said. Most come from local academies that will train people in MMA techniques to prepare them for the ring. Although a few fighters have wound up needing hospital treatment, none have been seriously hurt, he said.

Wiatt admits some of the fans who paid between $30 and $60 to attend his last show might not have known or cared that they were watching amateurs. For some, the sport itself is the attraction.

With better-known pro fighters, and with amateurs who have developed a following locally turning pro, Wiatt is hoping to draw even larger crowds. Ultimately, he would like to put Virginia on the MMA map, and perhaps establish it as a sort of minor league feeder system for the UFC.

"Am I ever going to really compete with UFC? No," Wiatt said. "The UFC made 90 percent of the money in MMA in 2007. The rest of us are competing for the other 10 percent. But what's wrong with being a Triple-A league?"

One thing is certain: MMA does not appear likely to go away anytime soon. Most in the sport expect that it will only get bigger.

Forbes Magazine reported in May that UFC, a privately held company, will pull in $250 million in revenue this year. The network debut of Mixed Martial Arts on CBS in May drew 6.5 million viewers. UFC programming on Spike TV has achieved some of the highest ratings for sporting events shown on cable.

"Our demographic loves it," said Wiatt, 29.

Holland says the only thing that could slow the sport's growth in Virginia is a glut of shows that could burn out the market, he said. In Winchester, for example, there is a show every month, and attendance has begun to dwindle.

As a regulator, he'd like to see more professional shows. But the fan in him would like to see fighters make some money as well.

"For amateurs to go in and take the punishment their bodies have to take in a match, win or lose," he said, "I just don't think it's worth it for a memento or a trophy."

Ed Miller, 757-446-2372, ed.miller@pilotonline.com