Evan
02-12-2009, 08:59 PM
oh no
http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/106921/ufc97_poster_190.jpg
Fallout from a recent local card in Winnipeg as well as the Strikebox card in Montreal may have a huge impact on if the UFC is able to do business in Canada. Sportsnet.ca is reporting that Quebec Athletic Commission is looking at vastly changing the rules and regulations that govern the sport in the province, a move that could endanger the possibility of Montreal hosting UFC 97:
Sources close to the QAC say these could include a requirement for a much smaller cage than the UFC’s patented Octagon, prohibiting elbow and knee strikes and requiring that the referee halt a bout should a fighter get knocked down from a strike in order to ensure the downed fighter is okay to continue.
Representatives from the commission told Sportsnet.ca the UFC will have to follow the rules set forth by the commission if they wish to hold their show in Montreal. Marc Ratner, the UFC’s vice president of government and regulatory affairs, is fully aware of the new situation and is hopeful that ongoing discussions with the commission will prove that this will not jeopardize the UFC’s return to the province.
Hopefully cooler heads will prevail, but if the UFC is in need of a fallback venue, they should be able to ramp up a card quickly in their home base of Las Vegas.
http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/106921/ufc97_poster_190.jpg
Fallout from a recent local card in Winnipeg as well as the Strikebox card in Montreal may have a huge impact on if the UFC is able to do business in Canada. Sportsnet.ca is reporting that Quebec Athletic Commission is looking at vastly changing the rules and regulations that govern the sport in the province, a move that could endanger the possibility of Montreal hosting UFC 97:
Sources close to the QAC say these could include a requirement for a much smaller cage than the UFC’s patented Octagon, prohibiting elbow and knee strikes and requiring that the referee halt a bout should a fighter get knocked down from a strike in order to ensure the downed fighter is okay to continue.
Representatives from the commission told Sportsnet.ca the UFC will have to follow the rules set forth by the commission if they wish to hold their show in Montreal. Marc Ratner, the UFC’s vice president of government and regulatory affairs, is fully aware of the new situation and is hopeful that ongoing discussions with the commission will prove that this will not jeopardize the UFC’s return to the province.
Hopefully cooler heads will prevail, but if the UFC is in need of a fallback venue, they should be able to ramp up a card quickly in their home base of Las Vegas.