By Rusty Nixon Correspondent
PLYMOUTH — Is Donaldson ready for “cage fighting”?
In the opinion of the Marshall County Board of Zoning Appeals and Plan Director Ralph Booker, probably not.

The cage fighting event — a form of “mixed martial arts” which allows for full contact combat with a wide variety of fighting techniques, from a mixture of martial arts traditions, to be used in competitions —  scheduled for the Dehon Center in Donaldson on July 19 could face some opposition from the County Plan Office. Booker reported to the BZA at its meeting Tuesday night that he had been contacted by several local officials including County Commissioner Tom Chamberlin and Plymouth Mayor Mark Senter that morning about the planned event that will feature 20 professional and amateur cage fights at the old seminary in Donaldson.
One point of controversy on the flyers being distributed by the organizers of the event was the statement that a portion of the proceeds from the fights would go to the Plymouth Fire Department.
Booker said Senter had been particularly upset by the statement and had informed Booker that the Plymouth Fire Department had no knowledge of the event and that the PFD would not accept any proceeds from a cage fighting event.
Booker said he planned to meet with Ken Lukenbill, attorney for the Plan Commission, on possible action that could be taken to stop the event. He did say that he felt “…there’s no way we can stop it from a zoning perspective.”
The property had been zoned in 1985 as a “sports training facility.” The owners had asked and been denied permission by the BZA to hold outdoor concerts on the property and went to court with a ruling being issued by then Judge Michael Cook in 1997.
Booker said the property owners’ position is that the proposed cage fights are a sporting event and therefore allowable. He did say that if more than 5,000 spectators attended or that there was sound after midnight it would be a violation.
He also said his office was required to receive notification of such an event 14 days in advance — which they had not — and he planned to ask for an updated traffic plan from the owners, also a requirement.