Volume 112 Issue 1 Article 13 September 2009 Fighting for Respect: MMA's Struggle for Acceptance and How the Muhammad Ali Act Would Give it a Sporting Chance Geoff Varney West Virginia University College of Law Follow this and additional works at: https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/wvlr Part of the Contracts Commons, and the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law Commons Recommended Citation Geoff Varney, Fighting for Respect: MMA's Struggle for Acceptance and How the Muhammad Ali Act Would Give it a Sporting Chance, 112 W. Va. L. Rev. (2009). Available at: https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/wvlr/vol112/iss1/13 This Student Work is brought to you for free and open access by the WVU College of Law at The Research Repository @ WVU. It has been accepted for inclusion in West Virginia Law Review by an authorized editor of The Research Repository @ WVU. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Varney: Fighting for Respect: MMA's Struggle for Acceptance and How the M FIGHTING FOR RESPECT: MMA'S STRUGGLE FOR ACCEPTANCE AND HOW THE MUHAMMAD ALI ACT WOULD GIVE IT A SPORTING CHANCE 1. IN TROD U CTION .................................................................................... 270 II. MMA'S ORIGINS, DARK PERIOD, REFORM, AND RESURGENCE ........ 271 A. Appearance in the United States ............................................ 271 B. John M cCain's Crusade ......................................................... 272 C. M M A R eform .......................................................................... 275 D. The UFC Takes a Chance and it Pays Off ............................. 276 III. ONE STATE'S REASONS FOR CONTINUING To BAN MMA .................. 278 A . M M A vs. B oxing ..................................................................... 279 1. B out D uration ............................................................ 280 2 .