I know that in years past, kids have been trained at an early age to box, but this is different. If you've never seen Ultimate fighting, it gets pretty brutal. Some medical experts fear the young bodies cannot take the pounding.
The organizers say there are rules to promote safety and prevent things like groin kicks or shots to the back of the head. That's nice, but pro sports have such rules too, yet the athletes sometimes break them anyway even though we expect adults to be more rational. What can we expect from an eight-year-old?
Also, if the parents of these kids are anything like those few we hear about at little league games who yell at and berate officials and coaches - even to the point of physicality - can you imagine what might transpire at these events potentially? There's a part of me that also has to wonder if this sport encourages some of these kids to become bullies. If they find they can beat up someone their age in a controlled ring with an adult watching over them, imagine what they could do on a playground.
What do you think?