BKFC Perth: Rita Saffioti says she doesn’t like combat sports but won’t stop Perth’s bare knuckle fight event

Rita Saffioti has called it premature, but not unusual, that tickets went on sale for Australia’s first sanctioned bare knuckle fight, before a final decision on whether it can go ahead in Perth. The Minister for Sport and Recreation has declared bare-knuckle boxing “the same” as UFC and again said she won’t use her veto powers to intervene, after the Australian Medical Association labelled it a “blood sport”. “Because then the legitimate question would be why don’t I do it for other events,” she told reporters on Wednesday. “I can’t stop one and then not stop others. They’re the same, the same points have been put on others. “I was around with the debate over UFC and cage fighting and the Octagon. I was around then and it was exactly the same criticism, but what we did then was we relied upon the advice from the Combat Sports Commission and we relied upon the processes they put in place. “I don’t like combat sports, I don’t like watching it, but there are people in the community that do and there are people who train hard and participate.” In a letter to the Premier, Ms Saffioti and other Ministers, AMA WA President Michael Page expressed “profound concern” and said the lack of protective gear made bare knuckle boxing worse. “This so-called sport even more closely resembles street fighting than its cousins of boxing and mixed martial arts,” he said. “Our society has no need for the toxicity and negative influence of blood sports”. The Opposition said the Minister’s decision not to intervene amounted to an endorsement of the event. “This isn’t sport, it’s state-sanctioned violence and there’s no justification for putting lives at risk for entertainment,” Shadow Sport and Recreation Minister Peter Rundle said. “The Cook Labor Government’s failure to step in and stop bare-knuckle fighting from being staged in Perth is appalling. “Premier Cook and his Minister had the power to act, and the responsibility to draw a line. They failed.” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has also weighed into the debate, raising concerns about the risk of concussion. “A bit of common sense, you’ve got to look after people’s health a bit, I think, and maybe save people from themselves,” he told Triple M Perth on Wednesday, hours before tickets went on sale. A final decision from the Commission is expected on Thursday, but promoters were confident of getting the go-ahead and unveiled a convicted criminal - previously jailed for robbing a drug dealer - as the headline act, catching the Government by surprise. “I do think you should wait to get permits before you sell tickets,” Ms Saffioti said. “This happens quite a bit with these kinds of events, even when it comes to concerts, they sell tickets before they have approval in relation to noise regs, so this happens. “I wouldn’t do it, but that’s what happens with promoters and organisers.” Australian Alex Simon, who has openly talked about spending time in prison as a young man, is set to take on former UFC fighter turned BKFC champion Ben Rothwell in the main fight on July 19. It would be the inaugural BKFC super heavyweight title — a new weight class for athletes above 120kg. Simon, speaking to the Secrets of The Underworld Podcast in May, said his weight had reached a maximum of 181kg when pursuing a career in powerlifting after prison. “Pretty much we robbed a drug dealer, but it was like a home invasion and it was armed,” the Sydneysider said of his imprisonment. After being released, Simon undertook a career in powerlifting, breaking Australian strongman records, and has since turned his attention to combat sports. RAC Arena — which is owned and operated by government statutory authority Venues West — advertised ticket sales across social media and on its website on Wednesday, declaring “Perth takes centre stage” and promising “raw and electrifying energy”. Tourism Minister Reece Whitby was unable to explain how the event was being promoted on RAC Arena’s website without formal approval. “I’m not aware of what conversations might have occurred with the promoter and the RAC arena, but I’m very much aware that the Combat Sports Commission holds the key to this event going ahead or not, and it is their decision, and I don’t think it’s a decision that they’ve made yet.” Ticket prices range from $151 to as much as $6000. It is expected that BKFC co-owner and former UFC champion Conor McGregor will be at the event, with an internal RAC Arena newsletter saying he will make a “special guest appearance”. BKFC president David Feldman said the event would be the “beginning of a new era for combat sports in Australia.”. The WA Combat Sports Commission has been contacted for comment.