Boston City Council President Stephen Murphy isn't a fan of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
In fact, Murphy recently sponsored a petition to have children under age 18 banned from attending any and all mixed martial arts (MMA) events held in Boston, Mass., even if their parents were willing chaperones.
It's not so much the actual fighting with which Murphy has a beef, but the un-policed behavior some UFC stars have exhibited outside of the Octagon in the past. Murphy pointed to former Light Heavyweight champion Quinton Jackson, who put out this YouTube video that (bad jokingly) showed people how to pick up women with the aid of chloroform.
"Rampage" later admitted that he made the outrageous rape video because he "wanted to get kicked out of the UFC." However, the world's leading MMA promotion didn't bite, instead booking him against Glover Teixeira in his farewell fight before setting sail for Bellator.
It's that type of un-checked social behavior, which is plastered all over the Internet for kids to view, that has Murphy so upset. He recently explained on NECN's "The Morning Show:"
"I filed a resolution not so much for the behavior in the cage, as the behavior outside of the ring of some of the stars of the UFC and there haven't been sanctions. They are all over YouTube and the internet which is a great source of information for kids. They are promoting violence against women, teaching kids how to rape and stuff that is way over the top, the behavior. There has been no official sanction from UFC, the governing body that employs all these guys."
Talk about over the top.
While Murphy doesn't approve of a few isolated incidents of inappropriate behavior that former UFC stars have displayed -- and rightfully so -- he does think MMA is good for kids in one area:
"It's great for discipline, physical training and these guys are athletes. On one level, it's really professional. It's the level that I'm talking about, the social behavior, the anti-social behavior."
UFC President Dana White scoffed at the petition and finds it odd that the Murphy -- along with the Culinary Union -- is so hell-bent on hurting the sport and his company, but isn't ruffling any feathers in the New England Patriot's front office regarding Aaron Hernandez's -- a former tight end for the team -- murder charges.
That's because the Patriot's head honchos have already taken care of that issue, by releasing Hernandez from the squad and cutting all ties with the embattled player by allowing exchanges of his team jersey.
That, according to Murphy, is the difference between the two organizations. One acted swiftly while the other has done nothing to discipline its athletes.
Miguel Torres was released by UFC in 2011 for sending out rape tweets, while Matt Mitrione was suspended for verbally bashing transgender fighter Fallon Fox earlier this year.
Granted, UFC's disciplinary actions aren't as strict as say the NFL's, or the Patriot's, for that matter, but implementing a Code of Conduct (read it here) is a sure sign that the promotion is looking to bring down the hammer for future transgressions.
Despite Murphy's efforts to slow down MMA's movement in Boston, UFC Fight Night 26 will indeed go down this weekend (Aug. 17, 2013) from TD Bank Garden. Should the bill eventually pass, young children won't be allowed to attend another UFC event in "Beantown" down the road.
But, it's not like Dana and Co. are planning on coming back anytime soon, anyway.