Breaking News: National Championships of Amateur MMA To Be Held In B.C. In 2010

In a recent press release, the Canadian Amateur Combat Sports Association (CACSA) announced ambitious plans to hold a first-ever National Championships of Amateur MMA . Their plan calls for two regional qualifying tournaments in early 2010, one in Western Canada and one in Eastern Canada, followed by a National Championships event to be held this coming April in British Columbia. The Western Championships will be held on February 5th, 2010 at the Port Theatre in Nanaimo, B.C, while the Eastern Championships will take place at an as-yet-undetermined location in March, 2010. The winners at each of the qualifying events will automatically be entered into the National Championships, which are scheduled for April 23rd, 2010 at the Red Robinson Show Theatre at Boulevard Casino in Coquitlam, B.C. Those interested in fighting at any of the events should visit the CACSA website at www.cacsa.ca.

Each event will feature both men's and women's MMA in up to six weight classes. A maximum of eight fighters, to be selected by the CACSA, will compete in each event's numerous resulting mini-tournaments. The fights will be contested under the CACSA's unique amateur rules, which stipulate one three-minute round and an automatic return to the feet after every 30 consecutive seconds spent fighting on the ground. Personally, I haven't watched a match under these rules, but the CACSC boasts that nearly %80 of the of over 200 such fights they've held this way have ended in either a submission or a (T)KO. That sounds like a pretty action-packed three minutes to me.

The great thing about these shows is that they provide nascent pugilists with an opportunity to compete in first-class venues in front of a live crowd. Learning to execute in that sort of high-pressure environment is critical for anyone considering a career in professional MMA. Of course, winning one of these tournaments, with the chance to be considered a National Champion, could only help build the sort of name-recognition needed to propel an obscure up-and-comer toward MMA success. What's more, these fights will air on Bell Express and Viewers Choice 30-days after each Championships are held. Invaluable experience, excellent exposure, plus a chance to be on T.V.? That's not too shabby. Kudos to the CACSA who also plan to begin staging Provincial Championships in the near future.

Naturally, I intend to be there in 2010 for every single fight at the Western Championships in Nanaimo on February 5th, as well as the National Championships in Coquitlam on April 23rd.

Until then, remember to keep your hands up and your chin tucked.