Mixed martial arts set to become legal with final House vote

Members of Parliament have passed with overwhelmingsupport a Senate bill that willchangethe Criminal Codeto make mixed martial arts and other combative sports legal in a final vote of 2679.

The changes will update the definition of a prize fight, which until now was definedas an encounter or fight with fists or hands, meaning thatnot onlywas MMA outside the law, but sowereOlympic sports such as judo and taekwondo.

"I am delighted that members of Parliament from all parties recognized the importance of updating the Criminal Code to reflect today's reality," saidthe bill's sponsor, Conservative Senator Bob Runciman, in a written statement on Wednesday.

Ontario and Quebec had worked around the law by designatingUltimate Fighting Championship eventsas boxing matches, but "this bill gives provincial regulators the clarity they need to better regulate amateur and professional combative sports, and to protect the health and safety of athletes," Runciman said.

The NDP's sports critic MatthewDub said in a written statement that"with great Canadian ambassadors, like George St-Pierre, mixed martial arts is becoming more and more popular."

"As such, it is important that the law be clear and updated so that safety and regulation are properly enforced."

The Canadian Medical Association opposed legalizing mixed martial arts and boxing, citing head injuries as the main concern.

Bill S-209,an act toamend the Criminal Code (prize fights), was firstintroduced by Runciman on April 4, 2012.

The growing and global success of the UFC was thedriving force behind Runciman's bill.