June 11th, 2004



John McCain's
Connection To MMA

In the beginning of the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Challenge - Mixed Martial Arts), it was getting some big PPV numbers in the 200,000 to 300,000 range. Back then, those in the world of boxing took notice and got a little worried. Coming to their rescue back then was Senator John McCain (Right) or Arizona.

In 1996, McCain and his colleague Colorado Republican Senator Ben Nighthorse-Campbell wrote to the governors of all 50 states, calling UFC "a brutal and repugnant blood sport . . . that should not be allowed to take place anywhere in the U.S." Its pretty obvious knowing his support of the sport of Boxing that he surly didn't take it upon himself to go on a personal crusade to crush the UFC because he was 'worried for fighter safety'. It was MANY Peoples opinion back then that McCain got bought out by bigger pockets, those with a vested interest in boxing that is, and McCain used his political sway to pretty much knock Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) off of InDemand PPV. However, it pretty much backfired on him because his actions made MMA FAR BIGGER today and look who is getting the last laugh here...
THANKS JOHN!

SPECIAL OUTSIDE SOURCE: McCain was put front and center some years back by known MMA Supporter Eddie Goldman. In Goldman's eyes, MMA was being harassed. And he says the story behind the harassment is rooted in McCain's self-interest. It's about a conspiracy involving Senator McCain, professional boxing and Anheuser-Busch, the brewing company. Back then, here's how Goldman's theory worked:
McCain opposes MMA because it threatens the boxing industry's hold on the pay-per-view TV audience; boxing's largest corporate sponsor is Anheuser-Busch, whose second largest wholesaler in the country is owned by Jim Hensley, the father-in-law of Senator John McCain. Theoretically, says Goldman, what's good for boxing is good for McCain.

On his 1996 financial-disclosure form, McCain acknowledges owning between $1 million and $5 million in Anheuser-Busch Company stock, along with significant interests in Hensley and Company, his father-in-law's Anheuser-Busch distributorship.

Again and again, in interviews, McCain has played loose with the facts. He has vastly exaggerated the extent of the violence associated with MMA, and has refused to acknowledge rule changes and safety precautions that make MMA far less dangerous than it was when he first logged his complaints. McCain is no stranger himself when it comes to other contact sports. He was a boxer in the Navy, he's a follower of professional boxing and, in fact, no stranger to pugilistic violence. McCain was ringside at the 1995 boxing death of boxer Jimmy Garcia, he has seen the ultimate brutality of boxing and, yet, remains a fan.



THURSDAY, JANUARY 3rd, 2008


ANOTHER BOXING DEATH...
Korean Boxer Choi Dies

WBO Intercontinental Champion Yo-Sam Choi (L: Photo from 2002 - R: Colleagues help unconscious Choi Yo-sam) was officially declared dead following his removal from a life-support machine around midnight last night according to a report on the The Korea Times web site. He was 35.

Choi's death came after eight days in an injury-induced coma. He was reportedly certified brain dead Wednesday afternoon. Choi had been hospitalized after collapsing following a successful defense of his title against Indonesia's Heri Amol on December 25.

The Korean took a number of hard blows to the head during the action-packed fight and was dropped after taking a hard right to the jaw from Amol with five seconds remaining, but beat the count and went on to win the fight but collapsed after returning to his corner.

He was rushed to the Soonchunhyang University Hospital immediately after the fight and underwent emergency brain surgery for a cerebral hemorrhage but never regained consciousness. Choi died on January 2, 2007, when he was removed from a ventilator after being pronounced brain-dead.

Choi's brightest moment as a boxer came in October of 1999 when he beat Thailand's Saman Sorjaturong to take the WBC light flyweight title. He lost the championship belt to Mexico's Jorge Arce in a knockout loss in July of 2002 and also lost his bid for the WBA flyweight title against Venezuela's Lorenzo Parra in September of 2004.

The Death Toll In MMA...

Despite what critics like Senator John McCain want the public to believe, MMA has been and still IS, far safer than boxing. According to the Journal of Combative Sport, since MMA Started, there have been 4 documented deaths. Some would argue that there has only been 2. Still others yet, only claim 1 of the 4 below. For those of us voting for President later this year, lets remember that the Boxing loving McCain still wants MMA banned around the world, and if voted in as President, no one needs a crystal ball to foresee his desire for the sport on a National level.

  1. April 14th, 1981: 15 year old Alfred Castro Herrera died by a KO due to blows from 16 year old Angel Luis Rodriguez at the Municipal Auditorium in Tijuana, Mexico.
  2. March 16th, 1998: Although 31 year old Douglas Dedge was unable to be medically cleared in the US due to a pre-existing heart condition, it didn't stop him from leaving the US for Ukraine for a fight. Dedge died due to brain injury by a KO in Kiev, Ukraine in an Unregulated & Unsanctioned Pro bout.
  3. May 12th, 2005: 35 year old Lee ?, died by a KO in Samsong-dong, South Korea.
  4. Event date - October 20th, 2007: 35 year old Featherweight (145-lb) Sam Vasquez died by a KO in Houston, Texas, USA.

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