So where do we stand with our sport of MMA? As a board member of the Technical committee of the CMMAA, it is a little frustrating to see all of the red tape that we have to dance through but I guess to a certain degree it is necessary. Here is a letter written by our fearless leader Marco Antico for the public on our behalf: An Update on Where Things Stand Monday July 14, 2008 The Canadian Mixed Martial Arts Association (CMMAA) originally submitted our application to become the sanctioning body for Amateur MMA in Ontario back in October 2007. We responded to the Ministry of Health Promotion's (MHP) request for additional information inJanuary 2008 and have not heard anything further except that our application is still under review. We contacted our government sport consultant on Friday, July 11, 2008 to inquire if there had been any progress, but unfortunately the answer was no. We were told there was no timetable for when the MHP would finish reviewing our application and that we should remain patient. This response was frustrating for some Board members who had already been waiting for so long. In fact, CMMAA began to wonder if it should launch a formal complaint. But, after speaking with other government employees involved with combat sports we were advised not to do so as ruffling feathers wouldn't expedite the process, but could result in the MHP simply refusing to review the application altogether. CMMAA has decided to follow this advice and remain patient for the time being as we have invested so much time, money and effort into the process thus far and would not want that jeopardized. CMMAA is the only organization working with the government of Ontario to get mixed martial arts (MMA) sanctioned. The government's position is that they first require an amateur safety record to be established for a number of years before considering professional MMA. That is where things currently stand as described above. CMMAA is a not-for-profit organization whose Board Members and Technical Committee consist of world renowned MMA coaches, UFC athletes, a NCCP Level 4 Coach, a Doctor, a Sportsnet Broadcaster and a Chartered Accountant. All proceeds raised by CMMAA throu gh the sale of its merchandise goes towards the effort to legalize MMA in Ontario. If you are interested in supporting our efforts, please consider purchasing one of our brand new Legalize It! t-shirts by contacting us at info@canadianmma.com. Regards, The Board Members of CMMAA Marco, Terry, Joe and Joey