I was just was made aware of this story, posted today on The Providence (RI) Journal's Web site. Read it, then read the email I sent the reporter (for what it's worth).
Inmates disciplined for “ultimate fighting“
By Tom Mooney, Journal Staff Writer
The walking wounded gave the scheme away: state prison inmates with welts on their heads and bruised knuckles.
The one correctional officer assigned to watch the 140 inmates of the E dorm in minimum security at the Adult Correctional Institutions got suspicious and called in prison investigators.
At first, the inmates told the investigators they were gathering in a particular dorm room as part of a chess tournament, said prison spokeswoman Tracey Poole.
But the inmates were actually participating in an “ultimate fighting“ contest — the popular and often-characterized as brutal street-fighting sport where participants pummel each other with fists and kicking with few holds barred.
The inmates even had a championship belt — similar to a wrestling championing belt — that they had cut out of a magazine and bestowed on the best fighter, Poole said.
The scheme was finally uncovered last month after investigators learned that several inmates had been injured and others were gambling on the matches and using them as forms of intimidation.
On Dec. 9, prison officials punished 10 inmates who had participated in the fighting by transferring them into either medium or maximum security, Poole said. They also received 10 days of segregation.
The fighting, however, persisted, Poole said, and another 10 inmates were transferred out of minimum security on Dec. 19 and each received 30 days of segregation.
The fighting, which at times included multiple inmates at a time, carried on in the evening and at night, Poole said. Prison officials are investigating whether any staff condoned the behavior.
Asked how an organized fight contest could go on inside the prison, Poole said the dorm area — home to 140 inmates — is watched by only one correctional officer.
“It’s very possible that something like this could happen without the staff being fully aware because it took place in a room,“ Poole said.
The inmates could have easily posted a sentry at the door, she said, so when the correctional officer approached, they stopped the fighting.
Poole noted that minimum security is for inmates who present the least security risk and therefore fewer correctional officers work in the facility.
“This is the first time we have been aware of any ultimate fighting going on.“
Poole confirmed that the winner of the contest was Christopher Suarez, 22, of Woonsocket. He is serving a 16-month sentence for felony assault.
According to Journal records, he was one of four men who beat up a young man and his girlfriend in Woonsocket in January 2007.
My email to Tom: Hey Tom -- Just a few corrections on your story on the inmates doing "ultimate fighting" at the ACI. First, the correct term for the sport is "Mixed Martial Arts." "Ultimate Fighting" is part of the brand name "Ultimate Fighting Championships," one of the numeorus MMA organizations around the world. Probably "ultimate fighting" should not have been used at all in the story, since you said sometimes the fights involved multiple opponents, and obviously they were not given permission by the state of RI to do what they were doing. See, when you call it "ultimate fighting" it gives the sport a bad name. Supporters have worked tirelessly over the years to get the sport sanctioned by state athletic commissions - fights that are held outside of those channels are shut down. So during sanctioned fights, you have referees, doctors, judges, state officials, etc. It's actually safer than boxing, largely due to no standing eight count. The athletes who compete don't have just one discipline to learn, but several, including jiu-jitsu, wrestling (free style and Greco-Roman), kickboxing and karate. Most pros practice for years before even stepping into a ring or a cage. ... I hope I'm not coming down too hard on you, but I'm just trying to do my part to educate people about MMA, just in case you have to do another story on it in the future. If I can help out any further, let me know.
Thanks, Ted Czech, reporter, The York Daily Record/Sunday News.
