Norways biggest news paper on MMA

Ok, there are virtually no news coming out of Japan this weekend... It is actually not a bad thing for me, feels like I have time to breath. :)

I was doing my normal news reading when I came across this article.
MMA is gathering speed and getting more press in general media. Norway's biggest newspaper (VG) have written an interesting article about the subject.

I have to first say that I am really happy that the sport is getting publicity in Norway, we have some fighters that are known globally, but not in Norway both Jaochim Hansen and Jon Olav Einemo are featured in this piece.

A great deal of effort goes into presenting the sport for the average Norwegian, and there is a great deal of emphasis on the fact that this is not training for street fighters, these are professional athletes. Jon Olav Einemo points out that performing MMA is Norway is extremely difficult, as arranging fights and events are illegal. This leads to a lack of sponsors and press. You can also factor in that they have to travel internationally to get experience, and it becomes very expensive to do MMA in Norway.

I really hope the Norwegian regulators gets their eyes open and sees that this is a sport and not violence. Hopefully Joachim Hansen is able to create enough publicity around this sport so we can see an improvement in the regulation for these fighters.

For this martial arts seminar in small Yttre Enebakk in Norway, they had also brought in the ADCC veteran Leozinho Vieira from Brazil.

A couple of videos:
See VG's journalist challenge Hellboy
Interview with Jon Olav Einemo and Joachim Hansen

Also a video of Leozinho Vieira against "Haidaro" Tetsu Suzuki from ADCC 2007