Aw, I was almost going to say that was a decent article until the last line.
"Unfortunately, the Toronto Police Department wasn't able to see the positives of having a well-trained mixed martial artist on its side and look past any stereotypes about the sport."
Also, they make it seem like the Police straight up said no. They said he could choose to be a Police officer if he wanted to give up all of the training and competing. You can't tell me training, coaching at his gym, competing in national UFC events, raising a family and working for the TPS (yeah, it is Toronto Police
Service not department, that is the equivalent of spelling someones name wrong) wouldn't be a bit of problem.
I'm not saying he couldn't do both, but could he compete at his level in the UFC and not have to sacrifice his services to Toronto?
And sure, it could be the TPS has something against the UFC. But can you blame them? It is a violent sport, very similar to boxing in that you get hit in the head plenty of times. And there are plenty examples of repeated head trauma (especially common in boxing) leading to Alzheimer's symptons, and unpredictable sometimes violent behavior. Obviously perfect for someone meant to be an unbiased third-party enforcer of the law.
In the end, it just does not seem beneificial for the TPS to hire the guy as long as he remains a fighter. Did he say if he were to do both, Policing would always be his first priority? Or would he have to constantly be leaving town to compete, and take time off for various injuries. I mean, would you want a guy with a busted face, bruised or broken hands and sore legs on patrol? No, he would have to take time off in those situations, types of situations trained officers who are not professional fighters don't have to face, at least not as commonly.
His service with the TPS would just seem like far more of a hassle than it is worth for the TPS. They gave him the ultimatum, if he wants to stop fighting professionally then he can serve. I am sure he could still train and coach at his gym while being a cop.
I mean, my brother (and tor even) fights and trains MMA locally, and has severely hurt his leg and wrist in strictly local meets. Luckily he works an office job where he could continue to work ...
