I spoke to major commission members. No one I talked to is aware of any regulatory body that has developed training or best practices for cornering in combat sports.
No wonder so many don't realize they're supposed to also be health advocates:
Every time one of these controversies happens, the accused parties claim either their fight expertise or special nature of their relationship with the fighter. And on those levels, no one can offer much criticism.
But basically no one has had formal training *on how to corner*.
I'm told by some commission members in big states this may soon change, at least in terms of direction on best practices in cornering.
Right now in MMA, cornering is pit crewing. New tires, full tank of gas, get back out there. Few accept or understand the health advocate role.
Some outright reject it. How can there be a health role if they're sending ppl there to FIGHT?
But the reality is we do this *all the time* in combat sports.
It's why we have weight classes
It's why boxers no longer have 15 rounds
It's why commissions approve bouts
And so on.
The truth is cornering is exceedingly difficult. It's a really difficult job that requires fight knowledge, competitive guidance and so much more.
Because it is so difficult, that's precisely why formalized training around it is so badly needed.
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I cannot overstate how thoughtful Gilbert is through this 45-minute talk. His reflection on his journey, what moves him and how he honors his values is illuminating.
Most folks know I don’t do interviews much anymore and that’s by choice. Delighted to make an exception here.
And yes, that’s Kamaru Usman there in the video. That’s not stock footage. He was there the day we arrived working with Gilbert Burns. We talk all about that as well.
11am ET the video interview with Burns drops on the @morningkombat YouTube channel.
I tracked down the articles cited in UFC President Dana White's anti-media video today related to the UFC's efforts during the coronavirus. Might be worth revisiting them to see what they say and if pushback on them is warranted in light of the very good year UFC had.
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It's worth mentioning up front the UFC had two coronavirus experiences.
Once they began working with commissions in May - especially in NV or Abu Dhabi govt - virtually all criticisms went away. At that point, they were working inside updated state medical protocol or beyond.
Before that, however, is when the overwhelming majority of pushback took place.
The first article cited is from March 15, early in the pandemic, following the show in Brazil where there was no Covid testing. Most global sports had stopped at this point.
Also, despite what Aunt Betty's Facebook feed of reheated memes tells you, white supremacist violence is what federal authorities are most concerned about as it relates to terrorism: csis.org/analysis/escal…
As for @maxkellerman's point about 93% of BLM protests being peaceful, it comes from this study by The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED). Read it: acleddata.com/2020/09/03/dem…
Gyms in DC are having success in battling Covid. Many have zero cases of Covid spread to either patrons or staff. The curious part according to one major gym owner in the city is women are returning to the gym at less than half the rate of men. No idea why that'd be so pronounced
When I say gym, I mean fitness, not MMA/BJJ.
Here all gyms have a 100% mask requirement for all patrons/staff at all times. No locker rooms. 25% of normal capacity can train at one time. Touchless entry. Heavy cleaning. Temp checks.
Generally, these are interventions that work.
I mostly lift in my front yard like a convict, but I've gone a few times. Weird vibe, but it's less risk than indoor dining (which I do not do).
It's bizarre mask compliance is so heavily protested. It's a cheap and simple way to get dramatic results. advisory.com/daily-briefing…
As I explained on #MorningKombat, I don't look to corporations for moral leadership (unless a cause is baked into the company from the start, like 'fair trade coffee').
I do not take it seriously when Gillette or Nike try this because it's all still part of profit maximization.
Or plain hypocrisy, e.g. Nike uses suspect labor standards in developing nations.
To make the movie, Disney worked with and thanked parts of the Chinese governments in regions responsible for carrying out modern-day genocide against Uighur Muslims.