US Pastor defends MMA: 'There is sin'

By Oriosvaldo Costa

In an era in which journalists like Ancelmo Gois and Zuenir Ventura attack the MMA and give new impetus to the sport opponents here in Brazil, the United States is a different story.

In the Land of Uncle Sam, even some religious leaders surrender to sport the fastest growing in the world. The most recent case was the Christian pastor Mark Discoll, one of the most powerful voices in the evangelical environment in their country.

He even published an article entitled "A Christian evaluation of Mixed Martial Arts" and proved to be a UFC fan since its inception in the 1990s, saying that also accompanied the Pride, extinct Japanese event.

The minister also said to be a friend of Matt Lindland, Ken Shamrock and Ben Henderson, all Christians in growth and MMA fighters. In his article, he approached so specifies the study at Johns Hopkins on injuries of MMA and Boxing events and the sport's safety standards adopted by state athletic commissions.

In addition to sharing all sports today, classifying them into competitive sports, collision and combat, which falls within the MMA, says his practice would not be a sin, though not everyone should do it.

The minister cited that yoga would be much more sinful because of its radical aspect of religion and eastern philosophy, unlike MMA. The minister believes that the MMA has also a huge potential for ransom of Christians.