Toughman contest

[Tom Yum]

I currently can run 5miles in less than 30 mins without pushing it.

You're both quick and fit.

[Hardball]

I honestly have no idea. I just figured I would like to see how good am really am or am not.

You could get hurt! Maybe bad!

[g-bells]

are'nt most toughman competions limited to just boxing?

[Sandtiger]

I could also end up hurt crossing the street or in sparring practice or under rotating doing back flips. I realize there is risk but the risk is fairly controlled. This event is MMA but no kicks to the head, no knees or elbows to the head. Of course hook kicks to the kidneys and back of the head is off limit as well. Most of the really brutal MMA techniques are limited, due to the amatuer nature of the event.

[Hardball]

I could also end up hurt crossing the street or in sparring practice or under rotating doing back flips. I realize there is risk but the risk is fairly controlled. This event is MMA but no kicks to the head, no knees or elbows to the head. Of course hook kicks to the kidneys and back of the head is off limit as well. Most of the really brutal MMA techniques are limited, due to the amatuer nature of the event.

Have fun dude!!!!

[Sandtiger]

Thanks.

Tom,

I believe that my speed and fitness will be an asset, it has generally pulled me through my sparring matches fairly unscathed.

[g-bells]

Thanks.

Tom,

I believe that my speed and fitness will be an asset, it has generally pulled me through my sparring matches fairly unscathed.

cool.... good luck to ya

[Tant01]

Tough what?

are'nt most toughman competions limited to just boxing?

As far as I know this IS the case! No kicking or throwing. No takedowns of any kind and no grappling.

Toughman is 16 Oz. gloves and bad boxing amatures going at it for a few minutes at a time.

Phui... Have fun bashing some heads in.

[Tant01]

Illinois this week became the 14th state to ban Toughman fights. During the last 17 months, four fighters have died after suffering injuries in Toughman bouts around the country.
In Texas, where the fights looked like they would survive a big political battle, the state has not banned them, but it has made them practically impossible to continue. The Dallas Morning News said:

The amateur boxing elimination matches known as Toughman Contests, which came close to being outlawed in Texas last year, have been driven from the state by new regulations.
Promoter Art Dore said Monday that he has canceled Toughman events scheduled for this year in six Texas cities, including Fort Worth. The reason, Mr. Dore said, is a change in state law that requires participants to sign up 30 days before fighting.
"It's almost impossible to do," Mr. Dore said. "These guys [contestants] won't get ready 30 days in advance."

The Dallas Morning News story shows how the "pro Toughman" forces rolled in some big political guns to try to save the fights.

Even Dore's home state of Michigan has imposed tough new restrictions on Toughman. The Saginaw News reported:

Michigan officials had issued a cease-and-desist order to stop Toughman events unless Dore could provide unlimited health insurance for his fighters. Facing a court battle with the state, Dore agreed to insure each of his fighters for $2 million -- and a previous ruling requires that Dore get rid of a section of his pre-fight waivers that asks that fighters pledge never to make any insurance claims.
The agreement kept Toughman critics in the Legislature from banning the events entirely, said state Rep. John Stewart, a Plymouth Republican who called the fights "repulsive."

Colorado is considering a ban, and Washington state has legislation pending to ban the fights.
The Chicago Sun-Times says:

Illinois officials Wednesday delivered a KO to Toughman competitions in Illinois, issuing emergency rules closing loopholes in state law allowing a promoter to stage amateur fighting events here.
At least eight people have died in Toughman events sponsored by Michigan-based promoter Art Dore -- the latest a 30-year-old woman named Stacy Young, who signed up on the spur of the moment and died of brain injuries after a bout last June in Florida.

Several Toughman fights are set for this weekend around the country, in Washington, Ohio, West Virginia, and Kentucky. (See newsletter section of the Toughman page.)

[Tant01]

http://www.wvtoughman.com/

[Sandtiger]

I came I saw I lost.

Well, I came I saw I lost. It think I was a little to confident of my ground game and that made me stupid. I started off by rocking him with a front kick to the sternum and then tried a second front kick. He went in for a takedown and I caught him with my right arm around his head. This is the point where I got stupid. I should have gone for body blows and kept the match stand up but instead I took it to the ground trying to choke him out. He got his head out once we went to the ground but I was in the mount position. I proceeded to deliver about 5-10 barely contested shots to his head (this made me even more confident) so when he managed to escape I didn't care much. We grappled for a while with me trying to put him is a choke a couple more times, I delivered several body shots from the ground. He managed to reverse positions and got behind me. I fought for a while from that spot but as I was attempting to get free he sank a RNC. I tapped.

This guy is studing Jujitsu and muay tai as has been traveling with a team for a couple of years. This was his 15th match. Apparently that whole we will match you based on experience thing was a joke. There were 3 of us in my weight class with no experience and 3 with quite a bit of experience. I drew one of the odd number experienced fighters. I suspect other than my hurt pride I went home with far fewer bruises than he did since he never landed a punch or a kick.

[WildWest.]

Good on you mate. Don't worry about the loss, it sounds like it was unfairly matched up anyway and think about what you have learnt. It will go a long way towards making you a better martial artist.

[Tant01]

Try, try again...

Good on you mate. Don't worry about the loss, it sounds like it was unfairly matched up anyway and think about what you have learnt. It will go a long way towards making you a better martial artist.

Yeah, what he said... And thanks for sharing with us!

You'll be more prepared next time!

[Sandtiger]

Thanks for the replys and support. I do believe that after this experience I will be hanging up my gloves for future cage bouts.

I believe the promoters of this bout misrepresented the circumstances of the bout. Such as they were required by state law to have $5000 policy in case of injuries and $10000 in case of death, they had neither of these. The fighers were supposed to be paired based on experience. I had 0 prior matches my opponent had had 14. The fighters could not have won more that 5 fights in the last 5 years. My opponent had won 14 in the last year, now 15. The fighters were supposed to live within 75 miles of the event. My opponent lived over 200 miles away. The fighters also were not allowed to be more than 5 lbs. weight difference my opponent was 10 lbs heavier.

[WildWest.]

It sounds like a bit of a jack up. Don't let it discourage you from other events if you feel the need to get in and do it again. Maybe next time the event won't be so onesided and you have some experience now.