MMA Saved Me: A Life-Changing Start
It all started in 2006. I was eight, at home playing NHL 06, when my dad brought home a VHS of a martial arts demo. Spins, board breaks, flips… it was captivating. He asked if I wanted to try martial arts, then dropped me off at a gym that would change my life. The co-owner became like a brother and mentor. At first, I hated it; I was a defiant little shit. But he stayed patient, teaching me discipline, accountability, and moral fortitude.

Discipline, Choice, and Hard Lessons
Martial arts didn’t just teach me to fight. It gave me the confidence to say no when it mattered most. At 12, my only close friend was heading down a dangerous path and pressuring me into bad choices. My dad told me to stay away. Without MMA, I might not have had the courage to listen. Everyone in that friend group eventually died from overdoses.

Early Success and Missed Opportunities
By grade 9, I knew team sports weren’t for me. I hated the politics and favouritism. I quit the hockey academy. I needed something I could control, where my effort mattered. MMA became that path. Training demanded everything, and my coaches kept me grounded. By 16, I’d earned my black belt and was excelling in tournaments.

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A young Hunter Clennan competes in his third martial arts tournament in 2011. This action shot highlights intensity, technique, and the passion of youth athletes before stricter provincial regulations took effect. along with the sense of community and care as his coaches inently observe the acton
Photographer: Kathleen Clennan

At 17, I fought in an adult division hungover, stoned, winning all three matches, including a TKO over a man in his 30s. It didn’t feel good. The sport wasn’t the problem… it was the lack of structured youth competition. That gap sent me down a spiral. From 2016 to 2022, I didn’t compete. It took six years to get back.

BCAC Problems and Accessibility
In 2023, a competitor at a local tournament suffered an acute subdural hematoma, leading to a coma and vegetative state. While not a youth, the aftermath made events harder to organize. The BC Athletic Commission (BCAC) tightened rules, adding a 90 day probation for fighters competing outside BC.

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The BC Athletic Commisions headquarters in Victoria BC, where youth combat sports regulations are governed and decided. This image represents the institutional barriers that young athletes face.
Photographer: Hunter Clennan (2025)

The biggest roadblock? No one under 19 can compete in sanctioned BCAC MMA events. The BCAC stated in 2015: “No person will compete in any sanctioned BCAC MMA event unless they are 19 years of age or older on the day of the match.” Safety matters, but the cost is steep: fewer tournaments, less exposure, and blocked pathways for young fighters.

Privilege, Opportunity, and Inequality
Opportunities in MMA have never been equal. Athletes with supportive families, private coaching, and money to travel get ahead, while others fall behind. Around the world, children gain fight experience early: in Russia, they train and compete regularly; in Thailand, kids fight Muay Thai bouts from a young age; in some parts of the world, amateur fighters may receive payment, blurring the amateur-pro line; in the USA, youth and collegiate wrestling are widely accessible.

Canada is split. Ontario allows athletes as young as 12 to compete in sanctioned amateur bouts. Alberta and Quebec also have lower restrictions. BC forces young fighters to wait until 19, unnecessarily punishing athletes for fighting out of province. Without accessibility and resources, BC athletes can’t catch up, and as MMA evolves, this gap will only widen.

I had a coach who was like a brother, guiding me with no silver spoon or guaranteed path. BC’s strict rules and limited resources make the climb in MMA far harder for most kids, giving an edge to the few already advantaged.

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A team of competitors ranging from ages five and up at a 2013 BC martial arts tournament. Among them, the renowned Lee family (bottom left) would later become successful MMA  fighters. Showing that accessibility and the ability to travel for competition is so important as they’re based in Hawaii
Photographer: Krista Green   

Conclusion: Clipped Wings and the Road Ahead
When a BC fighter finally steps into the cage at 19, they’re often facing someone with years of experience and sharpened fight IQ. That gap makes fair matchmaking hard and raises injury risk. Youths, ideally from 12 (or at least 14), should be allowed to compete in sanctioned, padded, helmeted matches that count toward amateur records. At 16 (or at least 18), they should be able to go pro. Without these changes, BC is setting young fighters up to fail before they even start.

MMA saved my life. It gave me structure, purpose, and the courage to make hard choices. But BC’s current rules are clipping the wings of the next generation. The question is simple: with these restrictions, why would any dedicated young fighter stay here?

Tuff Newz
All access, Unfiltered, From the mats to the mic.
See you cageside.

-HSC