Boston City Council Passes Ordinance Banning Minors from UFC, MMA Events Without Parental Supervision

Parents of young MMA fans in Boston will have to attend fights alongside their kids.

The Boston City Council passed an amended bill on Wednesday that bans minors under the age of 16 from attending UFC and MMA fights without adult supervision, according the Mass Live reporter Garrett Quinn. The ordinance that was originally introduced by City Council president Stephen Murphy sought to ban minors under the age of 18 from attending the events.

The new ordinance mandates that “children under the age of 16 years old be prohibited from attending live amateur and professional cage fighting events in the City of Boston unless accompanied by an adult.”

The Boston City Council voted unanimously to pass the ordinance, which Murphy said was an important measure to keep kids from being exposed to violence at a young age.

“Extensive research has associated exposure to media violence with a variety of physical and mental health problems for children and adolescents, including aggressive and violent behavior, bullying, desensitization to violence, fear and depression,” Murphy said. “Studies have found that that repeatedly exposing children to violent media is a risk factor for increases in aggression later in life.”

The amended ordinance comes on the heels of the widely publicized UFC Fight Night 26, which took place at TD Garden on Aug. 17.

Photo via Facebook/UFC: Ultimate Fighting Championship