Fedor Emelianenko: MMA rules in Russia will be tightened due to the death of a teenager at the tournament

The Union of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) of Russia will discuss the tightening of the rules after the death of a minor fighter at a tournament in Belogorsk. This was announced on Thursday, June 8, by the president of the organization Fedor Emelianenko.

He emphasized that not a single athlete in any sport is insured against an accident, but the tragedy in Belogorsk left no one indifferent.

Emelianenko said that after the incident, the MMA Union of Russia conducted an internal investigation and planned a discussion of tightening the rules at the next reporting and election conference.

The first vice-president of the organization, Andrey Terentyev, in turn, said that the chief judge of the competition in which the teenager died had his referee license revoked. Based on the results of an internal investigation, the dismissal of the president of the MMA Federation of the Amur Region is being considered, and a seminar is planned for referees and coaches.

Earlier, the press service of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Investigative Committee for the Amur Region said that on June 4, sports competitions in mixed martial arts were held in the sports and recreation complex in Belogorsk. The referee allowed two minors without open boxing helmets to participate in the fight. This attribute is mandatory when fighting in the 16-17 age group. One of the teenagers was injured during the fight, he was taken to intensive care, where he died.

Criminal case initiated – the judge of the competition is suspected of providing services that do not meet safety requirements during sports competitions.