Police and MMA
Article by: S.A
Where do you find some of the meanest and toughest cage fighters?
They are not behind bars but increasingly enough at the police station.
Sean “the Cannon” Gannon, a Boston Massachusetts police officer made a name for himself and law enforcement when in a backyard brawl defeated MMA’s internet sensation Kimbo Slice.
This is one example of how law enforcement agencies have trained there officers to be more skilled in fighting. Police departments have been training self defense techniques for years. However now there is a greater emphasis in aggressive martial arts like wrestling, boxing and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Aikido. Some police departments have even enlisted professional fighters to teach officers submission holds, punches and a variety of other mixed martial arts. Department ranks say that this helps reduce the use of officers using weapons and boosts morale. The use of pepper spray and tasers has significantly been reduced.
Why are more police officers becoming MMA Fighters?
Officers get to use the training they receive in a real life one on one fight and increase their salaries. Many police first become interested in cage fighting while training at the police academy. Forrest Griffin from Augusta Georgia became interested in cage fighting when he trained at the police academy. Mr. Griffin now ranks among the top six lightweights in the world. Referee Big John Mc Carthy recently retired from the Los Angeles Police Department as a defensive-tactics instructor to pursue his career in the world of MMA.
