EDITORIAL: MMA death in the cage

When it comes to cockfighting, there are laws that prohibit the activity which pits rooster against rooster.

When it comes to dogfighting, there are laws against that blood sport, those who raise the animals and those who watch.

When it comes to humans fighting, however, we treat them as gladiators, put them under bright lights, advertise in the media for people to pay to watch and see nature take its brutal course. Unfortunately, sometimes that course leads to death.

That is what happened to a young man at a Mixed Martial Arts bout held at USC Aiken's Convocation Center Saturday. Michael Kirkham, 30, of Gaston was injured in his match, taken to the hospital and died. It was a rarity for the sport which has gained in popularity in recent years thanks in part to increased television coverage on cable networks. In spite of the unusual nature of the death of Mr. Kirkham, it is a tragedy nonetheless that needs to be closely investigated.

Questions need to be asked and answered. Was everything done to protect the fighter who lost his life? Was the victim of an appropriate skill level as his competitor? Did the referee in the cage act appropriately and stop the fight when it was evident Mr. Kirkham could not defend himself?

Beyond those are the questions for officials at USC Aiken and for Global Spectrum, the management firm that markets the Convocation Center. Is this the kind of entertainment that these two respected entities want to bring to Aiken? Should the Convocation Center be utilized for family oriented events rather than ones such as MMA which are little more than bar fights in the enclosure of a cage?

This unsettling incident and the loss of a human life deserve to be seriously weighed before further such events are booked for the Convocation Center.