Sikjitsu originator Rick Little, trainer of UFC fighters Michael Chiesa and Julianna Peña, is speaking out about a controversial event he is promoting. The event, which happens this weekend at Northern Quest Casino outside of Spokane, WA, features a fight between two 12-year-olds.

This might be too controversial for many but too bad. If you seen these 2 mini monsters train then you would see they... Posted by Rick Little on Thursday, October 31, 2019

In a Facebook post touting the November 15th fight, Little writes:

This might be too controversial for many but too bad. If you seen these 2 mini monsters train then you would see they NEED to be under the lights competing! Your semi-main event Lola Papadatos will fly in from Belgium to take on Washington’s finest Darina Glassburn in a 80lb catchweight bout that got me like . www.northernquest.com this is worth the price of admission by itself $$ support these little superstars and come cheer your ass off. Dont be a hater and Share this!

The event is being offered by Excite Fight as part of their Conquest of the Cage series. KREM 2 reached out to Little to ask about the event. He told that outlet that his first reaction to the prospect of a fight between two children was a “stiff no.”

However, Little said he changed his mind thanks to the girl’s parents and trainers. One of the girls’ mothers is an MMA fighter herself and Little said that the girl had been training alongside her mother for her whole life. “She can answer if her kids are ready,” he said.

Little said the other girl was trained by one of his good friends. He said that friend had always bragged that their student was “the next big prodigy in the sport.” Little further stated that trainers for both the girls had referred to them as “dangerous” fighters who would benefit from fighting each other.

Little further defended the match-up by stating that the girls are the same size and have the same amount of experience. He also said that his promotion only worked with athletes from “respectable gyms” and that fans who come to his shows “respect the sport.”

The fight between the girls will be contested under amateur rules. In Washington amateur MMA rules prohibit the use of elbow and knee strikes to the head. For ages fifteen and under, closed fist strikes to the head of a grounded opponent are also banned.