The legality of prostitution and brothels around the world: The green countries and regions are places where prostitution is legal and regulated; the blue countries are areas where prostitution is legal but unregulated and organized activities such as brothels are illegal; the red countries are places where prostitution is illegal.

A red-light district is a part of an urban area where there is a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, adult theaters, etc. The term originates from the red lights that were used as signs of brothels.^[1]

A scene in Sonagachi, Kolkata in the year 2005

The Red-Light district of Sonagachi in Kolkata is one of the largest in Asia.

There are areas in many big cities around the world which have acquired an international reputation as red-light districts.^[2]

Some red-light districts have acquired a touristic interest beyond sex tourism, and can be perceived as places of artistic, historic or cultural interest, whether or not they still serve the sex trade.

Origins of term[link]

Soi Cowboy, Thailand

De Wallen red-light district in Amsterdam, Netherlands

Red Light district in Frankfurt, Germany

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the earliest known appearance of the term "red light district" in print is in an 1894 article from The Sandusky Register, a newspaper in Sandusky, Ohio.^[1] Author Paul Wellman suggests that this and other terms associated with the American Old West originated in Dodge City, Kansas, home to a well-known prostitution district during the 19th century, which included the Red Light House saloon.^[3] This has not been proven, but the Dodge City use was likely responsible for the term becoming pervasive.^[4] A widespread folk etymology claims that early railroad workers took red lanterns with them when they visited brothels so that their crew could find them in the event of an emergency. However, folklorist Barbara Mikkelson regards this as unfounded.^[5]

One of the many terms used for a red-light district in Japanese is akasen (赤線^?), literally meaning "red-line." (This has independent origins from the same term in English.) Japanese police drew a red line on maps to indicate the boundaries of legal red-light districts. In Japanese, the term aosen (青線^?), literally meaning "blue-line," also exists, indicating a non-legal district.

In the United States during the 19th and early 20th centuries, the term sporting district became popular for legal red-light districts. Municipal governments typically defined such districts explicitly to contain and regulate prostitution.^[6]

Apocryphal information exists indicating that the red light was used inside the bedchambers of brothels to obscure and conceal from patrons the red blemishes of various venereal diseases upon the skin of the prostitutes.^{[citation needed]} The red light seen from outside through the curtains became known as a sign of the activities within.

Legal issues[link]

Most mid- and big-size cities around the world have red-light districts, although the legality of the activities that occur in these areas, the degree of openness with which they are conducted, as well as the views of the general public and the authorities on these districts differ widely around the world.

Some red-light districts, such as De Wallen, Netherlands or Reeperbahn, Germany, are places which are officially designated by authorities for legal and regulated prostitution.^[2]

Other red-light districts, such as those from Thailand, and most parts of Asia, are areas which are unofficially monitored by the authorities: in spite of the illegality of prostitution in these places, the practice is tolerated and controlled by officials, and little is done to reduce or eliminate it.^[7]

See also[link]

• List of red-light districts

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Red-light districts

Look up red light in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Red light may refer to:

Film[link]

• Red Light (film), a 1949 crime film starring George Raft
• Red Lights (2004 film) (Feux rouges), a French thriller directed by Cédric Kahn
• Red Lights (2012 film), an upcoming thriller by Rodrigo Cortés

Music[link]

• Redlight (musician) (born 1980), British dubstep artist
• Redlight (album), a 1997 album by The Slackers
• "Red Light" (song), a song by David Nail
• "Redlight" (song), a song by Ian Carey
• "Redlight", a song by Kelly Osbourne from Sleeping in the Nothing
• "Red Light", a song by U2 from War
• "Red Light", a song by The Strokes from First Impressions of Earth
• Red Light, a sublabel of Tunnel Records

Other uses[link]

• Redlight Children Campaign, an American non-profit organization
• André Racicot, nicknamed "Red Light", retired ice hockey goalie
• Red Lights (Feux Rouges), a 1953 novel by Georges Simenon
• A traffic light color signifying Stop
• A color of safelight used in photographic darkrooms
• Operation Red Light II, a 2006 coalition military operation of the Iraq War

See also[link]

• Red, any of a number of similar colors evoked by light in the wavelength range of 630–740 nm
• Red-light district, a part of an urban area where there is a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses
• Red Light Lizzie, a 19th-century madam and underworld figure in New York City
• Red light/Green light, a traditional children's game

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Mike Swick
Born	(1979-06-19) June 19, 1979 (age 33) Houston, Texas, United States
Other names	Sick
Nationality	American
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight	170 lb (77 kg; 12 st)
Division	170 (2008–present) 185 205 (The Ultimate Fighter)
Fighting out of	San Jose, California
Team	American Kickboxing Academy
Years active	1998–present (MMA)
Mixed martial arts record
Total	18
Wins	14
By knockout	7
By submission	3
By decision	4
Losses	4
By knockout	1
By submission	1
By decision	2
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Mike Swick (born June 19, 1979) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship as a welterweight.

Swick, who trains at American Kickboxing Academy alongside fellow welterweight standout Jon Fitch, entered the UFC after appearing on the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter. He defeated his first four UFC opponents within the first round, living up to his nickname "Quick" in the process. He holds notable victories over former UFC middleweight title challenger David Loiseau, Marcus Davis, Ben Saunders, and Joe Riggs.

Mixed martial arts career[link]

Early career[link]

Swick began his professional career in smaller shows, including early events of World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC). He amassed a record of 5–0 before challenging Chris Leben for the WEC Middleweight Championship. He lost the fight by knockout at 45 seconds of the second round.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] The Ultimate Fighter

After his first professional loss, Swick entered the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, a reality television series produced by the UFC. Swick participated as a light heavyweight on Randy Couture's team. Chris Leben also participated as Swick's teammate. Leben insisted on talking about his victory over Swick, which irritated him. Swick's first fight in the show came during the semi-finals. He faced Stephan Bonnar, but was defeated by triangle armbar at 4:55 of the first round, eliminating him from the show.^{[citation needed]}

At The Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale, Swick defeated Alex Schoenauer by knockout just 20 seconds into the first round, earning the nickname "Quick" from UFC announcer Mike Goldberg. Though he had lost the show, Swick signed a contract with the UFC.^{[citation needed]}

In the UFC[link]

Swick lived up to his nickname with several quick stoppages in his subsequent fights. At UFC Ultimate Fight Night Swick stopped Gideon Ray by technical knockout in just 22 seconds. He followed up with two first-round guillotine choke submissions over Steve Vigneault and Joe Riggs at UFC 58 and UFC 60 respectively. Swick jokingly called the move his "Swick-otine". At UFC 63 Swick faced former title challenger David Loiseau and earned a unanimous decision victory. He suffered ligament damage to his hand during the fight.^{[citation needed]}

Swick's first UFC defeat came at UFC 69, losing by unanimous decision to Japanese middleweight Yushin Okami. He had Okami noticeably rattled toward the end of the second round with a flurry of punches, but ultimately succumbed to Okami's superior wrestling and physical presence, as he was taken down comfortably and suffered an onslaught of ground and pound for the majority of the fight. Chris Leben was then asked to fight a rematch with Swick at UFC Fight Night 11, but Leben turned down the fight, later claiming that his management turned down the fight without his knowledge. Swick was then scheduled to fight Jonathan Goulet, but withdrew from the fight due to a rib injury.^{[citation needed]}

Drop to Welterweight[link]

Swick dropped down to welterweight and headlined UFC Fight Night 12 against Josh Burkman, winning by majority decision.^[1] Swick next appeared at UFC 85 against Marcus Davis, who was riding a six-fight win streak in the UFC coming into the bout. Swick controlled the fight with disciplined striking skills en route to a unanimous decision victory. He next faced Jonathan Goulet at UFC: Fight for the Troops. Swick opened up with a characteristically aggressive flurry of punches, knocking Goulet out on his feet. Swick rushed in with ground strikes before the referee stopped the fight.

Swick next faced Ben Saunders at UFC 99. After he reversed Saunders' takedown attempt with a quick sprawl and takedown of his own, Saunders held Swick in his guard for several minutes, stifling any offense and prompting Swick to taunt him for stalling. In the second round Swick's hands loosened up and he dropped Saunders with a clean straight right after landing a few punches, following up with a quick flurry to round off an impressive performance. In the post fight interview, Swick pointed out his record of 9–1 in the UFC and announced his interest in a title shot.^{[citation needed]}

Swick was scheduled to fight Martin Kampmann on September 19, 2009 at UFC 103. The winner was set to receive a title shot against Georges St. Pierre.^[2] However, this changed when it was announced on September 4 that Swick had suffered an injury while training and would be unable to fight Kampmann at UFC 103. Paul Daley, who made his UFC debut on the undercard, stepped up as Swick's replacement and defeated Kampmann via TKO.

Swick replaced an injured Kim Dong-hyun and faced Dan Hardy on November 14, 2009 at UFC 105.^[3] The winner was to get the next shot at Georges St-Pierre's welterweight championship.^[4] In an interview^[5] prior to UFC 105, Swick revealed he was pleased to have dropped back to Welterweight but admitted he could not focus on Georges St-Pierre until after UFC 105. Swick was rocked by a straight right hand from Hardy early in the first round and was rocked again in the 2nd and 3rd rounds. He went on to lose the fight by unanimous decision.

At UFC 109, Swick lost to Paulo Thiago by a d'arce choke after taking a counter left in an exchange in the second round. Swick refused to tap to the choke forcing him to lose the fight via technical submission.

In early September, Swick stated that he had been mis-diagnosed with a stomach disease. The disease which he was incorrectly told he had, forced him onto a very bland and restrictive diet, which made it virtually impossible for Swick to put and keep on any muscle mass. Swick is currently undergoing treatment and, barring surgery, will be able to return to action in early 2011, as a middleweight.^{[citation needed]}

Swick was expected to return to action against David Mitchell on January 22, 2011 at UFC Fight Night 23.^[6] Although it was thought he might return to action at middleweight, Swick and David Mitchell verbally agreed to a January 22 fight in the welterweight division.^[7] However, Mitchell was forced out of the fight with a back injury and Swick felt as if his stomach condition was not completely healed, so the bout was scrapped from the card altogether.^[8]

Swick was expected to face promotional newcomer Erick Silva on August 27, 2011 at UFC 134.^[9] However, on August 4, 2011, it was announced that Swick had to withdraw from the bout due to a knee injury.^[10]

Swick is expected to face DaMarques Johnson on August 4, 2012 at UFC on FOX 4.^[11]

Personal life[link]

Swick got married in September 2008.^[12]

Mixed martial arts record[link]

Result	Record	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Round	Time	Location	Notes
Loss	14–4	Paulo Thiago	Technical submission (brabo choke)	UFC 109	02010-02-06February 6, 2010	2	1:54	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss	14–3	Dan Hardy	Decision (unanimous)	UFC 105	02009-11-14November 14, 2009	3	5:00	Manchester, England	UFC Welterweight title eliminator.
Win	14–2	Ben Saunders	TKO (punches)	UFC 99	02009-06-13June 13, 2009	2	3:47	Cologne, Germany	Knockout of the Night
Win	13–2	Jonathan Goulet	KO (punches)	UFC: Fight for the Troops	02008-12-10December 10, 2008	1	0:33	Fayetteville, North Carolina, United States
Win	12–2	Marcus Davis	Decision (unanimous)	UFC 85	02008-06-07June 7, 2008	3	5:00	London, England
Win	11–2	Josh Burkman	Decision (majority)	UFC Fight Night: Swick vs. Burkman	02008-01-23January 23, 2008	3	5:00	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Welterweight debut
Loss	10–2	Yushin Okami	Decision (unanimous)	UFC 69	02007-04-07April 7, 2007	3	5:00	Houston, Texas, United States
Win	10–1	David Loiseau	Decision (unanimous)	UFC 63	02006-09-23September 23, 2006	3	5:00	Anaheim, California, United States
Win	9–1	Joe Riggs	Submission (guillotine choke)	UFC 60	02006-05-27May 27, 2006	1	2:19	Los Angeles, California, United States
Win	8–1	Steve Vigneault	Submission (guillotine choke)	UFC 58	02006-03-04March 4, 2006	1	2:09	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	7–1	Gideon Ray	TKO (punches)	UFC Ultimate Fight Night	02005-08-06August 6, 2005	1	0:22	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	6–1	Alex Schoenauer	KO (punch)	The Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale	02005-04-09April 9, 2005	1	0:20	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss	5–1	Chris Leben	KO (punch)	WEC 9	02004-01-16January 16, 2004	2	0:45	Lemoore, California, United States	WEC Middleweight Championship
Win	5–0	Butch Bacon	KO	SB 1 – Shootbox 1	02003-08-23August 23, 2003	1	0:26	Orlando, Florida, United States
Win	4–0	Kengo Ura	KO (knee)	WEC 6	02003-03-27March 27, 2003	3	0:31	Lemoore, California, United States
Win	3–0	James Gabert	Decision (unanimous)	WEC 4	02002-08-31August 31, 2002	3	5:00	Uncasville, Connecticut, United States
Win	2–0	James Whitifield	TKO	NSFC – NW Submission Fighting 1	02002-05-04May 4, 2002	1	1:15	Boise, Idaho, United States
Win	1–0	Victor Bell	Submission (rear naked choke)	PRW – Power Ring Warriors	01998-11-07November 7, 1998	1	2:10	Humble, Texas, United States

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official site
• Professional MMA record for Mike Swick from Sherdog
• Official UFC Profile
• Mike Swick Interview
• Mike's Myspace
• MMA Punk Interview with Mike "Quick" Swick