A lot of places still don’t like to hold MMA events because they have the misconception that the sport is barbaric and the people who participate in it are nothing but a bunch of knuckle-draggers. That’s far from the truth, however.
If you go and watch a class at MMA Richmond or another fine school you’ll see that the sport is actually very athletic and that it requires a lot of skill. It’s not brawling, and it’s actually much safer and has a lower injury rate than boxing. This is generally because MMA fighters aren’t being hit as hard based on the kinds of gloves that they wear, and because there is more time spent on the ground and in other forms of submission as opposed to only punching.
These are important distinctions that a lot of people unfortunately overlook when they are considering MMA versus other types of sports and when they are trying to decide what they feel is ’safe’ and what is not. A little honest research into MMA can show you what is reality and what is not.