UFC Makes Debut In Vancouver, BC – UFC 115
UFC 115 will take place June 12th at GM Place in Vancouver as Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell looks to rebound after going 1-4 in his last five fights and suffering knock outs to Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and we all remember the devastating knockout punch from Rashad Evans.
His will be facing off against Rich Franklin who is coming off of a loss against Vitor Belfort. Rich has come out saying he is looking to make one last push towards a UFC title while Chuck is just fighting for his career. A loss for the Iceman could mean the end to his UFC career in the octagon. UFC President Dana White has said Chuck will always have a job with the UFC. He also came out last year after his loss to Shogun and said Chuck is retired and won’t fight in the UFC. As a friend he was concerned for his safety but the natural fighting spirit of Chuck has made him train harder than ever for this matchup.
UFC 115 was the fastest sell out in UFC history. Tickets were sold out in 30 minutes during the UFC presale and not a single one was available on the Friday when they went on sale to the general public. The bad news is the UFC faced increase insurance costs for the event but it further solidifies Canada as the Mecca of MMA. UFC fans are willing to travel from coast to coast just to get a glimpse of the UFC action. When a UFC event is in town the entire city is full of electricity! Fans get to experience a new city, meet fighters and go to pre-parties and after parties featuring some of their favourite fighters. Many UFC fighters are very down to earth and a lot more welcoming than any other athletes in many of the professional sports.
Sports Tour companies like Elite Sports Tours have sent thousands of UFC fans to events across North America. UFC Packages featuring UFC Tickets, Hotel Packages and even Bus Tours full with hundreds of other UFC faithful looking to show their support for their favourite fighters. With 3 successful events in Montreal the UFC will make its debut in Vancouver Saturday June 12th at GM Place. This may be the first and last event for the time being as it may apparently cost 11 million to insure another event.
Although the acquisition of Tom Wright (ex-CFL commissioner) to head the new UFC Canada office is expected to provide a lot of valuable connections to the organization and hopefully lead to the sanctioning of MMA in Ontario. The UFC has a tentative date scheduled for a UFC in Toronto at Rogers Centre March 26th 2011. It is expected that UFC Welter Weight Champion Georges St. Pierre will fight against Josh Koscheck after coaching the 12th season of TUF.
Either way should the UFC make ground in Toronto is would be a very historic event!
June 19th, 2010 at 4:59 pm
Cool i’ll check it out