From the Mooresville Tribune:

Extreme-fighting events will no longer be allowed at public recreational facilities in Concord.
Concord City Council voted unanimously Thursday to prohibit the rental of any city recreation facility for violent fighting contests such as "he-man or ultimate fighting contests."
Mayor Scott Padgett , a former elementary school principal, said the fights the new ordinance refers to are extremely violent.
"It's like human cockfighting," he said. "That's exactly what it is. It is human cockfighting and we don't need it. People have freedom and they should, but for people to be exposed to this level of violence just scares me to death. There's no way that you can see something this violent and not be affected. It's pretty much no holds barred."
The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the type of event that would be banned, Padgett said.

I can't even fathom reading this guys comments. It's almost as if he JUST watched an old John McCain interview and decided to speak directly afterwards or something. There are several MMA events held in Charlotte, NC every year and they don't have a problem with it. In fact, Charlotte is the largest city in North Carolina and is only 27 miles away from Concord.

"From what I've seen on TV and what I've read, I sure wouldn't want any of those types of events held on any of the properties we own," Padgett said. "Maybe by us doing this, other government bodies around will see the wisdom in banning this and maybe somebody's life could be saved."

Oh wow, somebody has died so we need to save more lives by banning these events? Why they are just now doing this I have no idea. In fact, MMA just became legal again in North Carolina in late 2007. Maybe this guy just saw footage from the UFC "Fight For The Troops" event that took place in North Carolina last month? You can comment on the story here, or call 1-704-789-9141 to contact the reporter. If you do comment please remember to do so in a respectful and educated manner. You definitely would not want to lend credibility to MMA corrupting your thought processes or anything like that ;). Thanks.

*Editor's Note[Kelvin Hunt] The Mayor Scott Padgett’s email address is Padgetts@ci.concord.nc.us. Again, I ask that you respond accordingly. Thanks to MMA4Real reader Brian Ward for the heads up.