St. Charles committee says no to MMA at Arcada

There's the teaching of martial arts with at least two schools near St. Charles' downtown. There's the occasional illegal fighting in the streets after the bars close downtown. There's the legal (for pay) fighting that's already been permitted just outside the eastern and western edges of the downtown. And there has even been the legal fighting at mixed martial arts events at the Arcada Theatre right in the heart of the downtown.

But that fighting at the Arcada? Not anymore.

Aldermen on the city's Government Operations Committee voted down a plan this week to bring a series of MMA events to the Arcada. During the vote, aldermen said MMA is a violent sport that may bring an element contradictory to the family atmosphere the city is trying to create downtown.

Downtown having a different atmosphere than the rest of the city is news to both Mayor Don DeWitte and Arcada owner Ron Onesti. Onesti said the denial of his proposal was a slap in the face for him because he has an unblemished liquor license with no history of police problems at his property.

“I really think the city has a misunderstanding of the sport,” Onesti said. “This sport has become very regulated. And they are treating it like this is the first event of its kind. I've had two of these events already. And a bar three minutes away from the theater just had an MMA event a couple months ago.

“This vote was a total shock. I thought I'd given the city something to be proud of. I'm really just flabbergasted.”

Onesti said the city has far more problems with illegal fighting than issues at MMA events.

“At the MMA events, if someone had a hangnail the police would've been all over the place,” Onesti said. “But they've opened all these bars downtown. I guess that's the family atmosphere they are trying to create. If people go to the bars and get into fights, I guess that's OK. I think they are just taking a personal dislike for a sport they don't really know anything about and making it a public dislike.”

Alderman Cliff Carrignan, chairman of the Government Operations Committee, could not be reached for comment Thursday. DeWitte said he sympathizes with Onesti's point of view.

“I don't see the distinction between holding these events at a downtown venue or the east or west edge of town,” DeWitte said. “From what I can ascertain, this sport rubs a number of our council members the wrong way. I would certainly hope the council doesn't want there to be a different set of rules between downtown businesses and the rest of the city, but with this particular subject the council has chosen to do that.”

The full city council must still take a vote on the proposal before it is completely dismissed.

DeWitte said there may also be a possibility of moving the event to Pheasant Run if the council remains against a downtown venue.