The route to regulation for mixed martial arts in Ireland has been made tougher by the Irish Martial Arts Commission (IMAC).
In documents obtained by RTÉ, the IMAC wrote to the International Olympic Committee earlier this year saying that mixed martial arts did not deserve to be recognised as a sport.
Calls for regulation of the sport in Ireland came earlier this year when Portuguese fighter Joao Carvalho died as a result of the damage he sustained in a fight against Charlie Ward in Dublin.
The documentation shows that the IMAC stated that the sport is akin to dog fighting, adding that it was "pornographic, sadistic and voyeuristic to its core". They added that the sport, in its current form, could not be legitimised.
In a letter from the IMAC to the International Olympic Committee, they wrote: "If MMA is not interested in changing the rules regarding elements such as 'ground and pound' then a ban is the only option to those whom 'they' are saying should regulate MMA."
In further documentation released under the Freedom of Information Act to RTE, the IMCA said: "There are elements which are allowed in MMA that are intentionally dangerous, that cannot be avoided no matter how many doctors are present."
In an interview that was released earlier this month, UFC Featherweight champion Conor McGregor said that the death of the Portuguese fighter affected him personally, noting that MMA should not be called a sport.
"How do I feel? How would you feel?" McGregor asked Men's Health. "It's f**ked up. I wasn't just watching that fight. I helped train a guy to kill someone, and then someone wound up dying."
"This is a f**king dangerous game. People call it a sport, but it's fighting. I'm just making sure it ain't me. And that's f**ked up. Damn...I still can't believe that kid is dead."
There is no time frame set out as to when mixed martial arts may be regulated in Ireland, but with the sport's growing popularity, calls for regulation are set to grow louder with more people involved than ever.
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