Mixed martial arts, or MMA, has been known for being a dangerous sport. Now, a Japanese MMA league is making the sport even more dangerous than it needs to be. The league has scheduled a fight for May 20 where 24 year old Momoko Yamazaki will be fighting 12 year old Momo. This fight will mark Momo’s first MMA fight. Jordyn Haessler, senior, said, “I think that the fight should be stopped. Just the sound of it isn’t good. Someone has to be held accountable for letting something this reckless happen.”
This is the first time a minor has fought an adult since 2010, when a 16 year old from Japan was in a kickboxing match. He didn’t fight in MMA until 2015, though. The match will be considered an amateur fight because it’s Momo’s first fight, and, therefore, it includes rules such as no striking an opponent on the ground and wearing full headgear at all times. There will be two three-minute rounds. The minimum weight for the fight is 95 pounds.
Professional fighter Roxanne Modafferi took to Twitter with her disgust over the fight. She stated, “I don’t even want kids taking blows to the head in practice until they are over 13.” She is referring to the fact that the brain isn’t fully developed until around age 25, and head trauma at younger ages can cause problems with the mind later on in life.
Josh Docherty, senior, said, “This is crazy. I don’t know how it’s even legal to allow a fight like this to happen regardless of the precautions they are taking. The fact is that a 12 year old is going to fight an adult.” Overall, the MMA community is not happy with the decision to let a 12 year old fight someone twice her age, let alone compete in the sport at all.
