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GCA has
released it's official statement regarding the controversy surrounding an
altercation at weigh-ins for the MMA promotion “Battle of the Spartans” on 11/30/12: On November
30th Global Combat Alliance, a MMA sanctioning organization based in Virginia,
participated in a weigh-in held in Fredericksburg, VA for the MMA event Battle
of the Spartans. While the original fight
weight between Cassie Crisano and Shanie Rusth was scheduled to be 135 lbs, I
was informed by the event promoter that Mrs. Crisano would be overweight and
that Ms. Rusth had agreed to accept the fight if Mrs. Crisano weighed in at any
weight at or below 140 lbs. I then
verified this weight allowance with all parties involved. At
approximately 9:50 pm, Mrs. Crisano arrived and stepped on the scale at 142.4
lbs. Ms. Rusth witnessed the weigh in,
and upon seeing Mrs. Crisano’s weight demanded that she strip down to try and
make agreed upon weight of 140 lbs. or she would reject the fight. Out of respect for Mrs. Crisano, I then asked
Tracy Barksdale to step behind a curtain with Mrs. Crisano to record her
stripped down weight. Before Mrs. Crisano
could begin stripping down, Ms. Rusth began verbally assaulting Mrs.
Crisano. After a very brief verbal
exchange, Ms. Rusth rushed at Mrs. Crisano and spit on her before anyone could
get in between them. I immediately
rushed in, along with several others, to break them apart and prevent further
violence. Mrs. Crisano reached over and
slapped Ms. Rusth before the two could be broken apart. More parties stepped in to the dispute,
including Ms. Rusth’s boyfriend Frank Lester and Mrs. Crisano’s husband. A few more exchanges were made while the
fight was being broken up, witnessed by several people, but I did not
personally witness any other physical violence as I was busy trying to pacify Ms.
Rusth and urge her to leave. After the
dispute, I was informed that Frank Lester had punched Mrs. Crisano in the face during
the exchange and the police were subsequently notified. The dispute
that transpired at weigh-ins for this event was a travesty to the sport of mixed
martial arts and was certainly not a reflection of the professional grade
standards enforced by Global Combat Alliance. Signed, Danny Clark Executive
Director Global
Combat Alliance www.gcafights.com
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