there s a problem with it. after four weeks of training, andrea is competing in her third youth mma competition. can i have everybody s attention, please. she joins over 58 other kids and their families from all over the country. big guy, how you doing? i m good. excellent. they ve come to california, one of the only states in the u.s. that sanctions and regulates youth mma. before the fights even begin, the kids have to go through a whole battery of inspections. all of their gear is checked and every competitor is obligated to get fully checked out by a doctor. hi there. oh, my first girl, excellent. right on! girl power. while organizers, competitors and their families see these precautions as just part of the
so why do you think people think it s so dangerous? there s a cage. despite the differences between youth mma and the ufc, both put on quite a show. with theatrical announcers, weigh-ins and even face-offs. andrea s opponent is 13-year-old unity. she s been practicing mma since she was 9 and competing since the age of 11. so you re fighting andrea today. how do you feel about it? i feel excited. i m ready to go in the cage and just fight her. how many fights have you had? i ve had like four or five. and have you been pretty successful? yes. who got you into this? my dad. are you a big fan of mma? yes. we started watching it and she said she wanted to get into it. when rhonda made it to the ufc, she cried.