A major mixed-martial events in Dublin has been postponed.
BAMMA 26 was due to go ahead at the 3 Arena on June 4th with Irish fighter Chris Fields among the headline draws.
But that event has now been pushed back to September 10th after consultation with sporting, medical and political bodies over the implementation of safety procedures.
In a statement, BAMMA confirmed that, "As most of you are aware, the recent tragedy that occurred within Irish MMA has led to numerous ongoing discussions in regard to regulation and how to make the sport safer for participants.
"Whilst no regulation has currently been announced, discussions with leading experts in the medical field have led BAMMA to make the decision to introduce mandatory pre fight MRI/MRA scans for fighters.
"This means that every BAMMA fighter will be subject to an annual MRI/MRA scan which will serve as important additional protection for the fighter, whilst bringing BAMMA events even closer to NSAC standards."
The statement continues: "After consultation within the Irish sporting, medical and political community, a consensus has been reached that it is vital to introduce these scans for the BAMMA 26 event. With this in mind, and to allow the facilitation of these scans for ALL fighters, a decision has been made to move the BAMMA 26 event from June 4th to September 10th. This will leave 3 months of preparation for fighters to organise scans and for them to be reviewed by relevant medical experts."
It follows the tragic death of Portuguese MMA fighter Joao Carvalho in Dublin last month at a separate mixed-martial arts which sparked scrutiny over safety procedures and a call for greater regulation of the sport in Ireland.
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
