I ASKED Dana White last June whether putting UFC 101 in Philadelphia was intended to show New York legislators what they were missing.
“If you have to watch one show to see the success this has been then you’re out of touch,” the UFC president said. “In these hard economic times, we’re still selling out shows, not only in the United States, but all over the world.”
While a bill to legalize mixed martial arts in New York remains stalled amid the chaos in Albany, Philadelphia’s economy will earn millions from UFC 101 tonight at the Wachovia Center. A sellout crowd in excess of 15,000 is expected to see four of the UFC’s best MMA fighters perform.
BJ Penn will defend his lightweight championship against Kenny Florian and the co-feature matches middleweight champion Anderson Silva against former light heavyweight champ Forrest Griffin.
Whether intentional or not, UFC 101 will be a showcase for East Coast states like New York and Massachusetts that don’t sanction MMA. UFC VP Marc Ratner was laying some ground work earlier this week, spending time with lobbyists in Albany. Melvina Lathan, commissioner of the New York State Athletic Commission, will show her support of MMA by attending UFC 101.
“I know how much people are crazy for UFC over here,” said Florian, a Boston resident, who will use his submission skills and sharp elbows to offset Penn’s strong stand-up attack. “It’s definitely an honor to be fighting over here. There’s a huge, huge craving of everyone here on the East Coast to see more UFC events.”
The UFC’s last appearance in the area was UFC 78 in Newark in November 2007. Since then the company has been lobbying for sanctioning in New York. It seemed inevitable this year when the bill passed the Tourism, Sports and Recreation Committee in June. Then all heck broke lose in Albany bringing a halt to the passage of legislation. Meanwhile, a bill to make MMA legal in Massachusetts could be signed by October.
“It’s certainly not functioning like we thought it would,” Ratner said of Albany. “This has nothing to do about MMA. It’s about the Legislature not meeting. A lot of bills still have to get passed. Then maybe we’ll get heard.”
According to impact studies conducted by the UFC, New York could earn up to $11 million in economic activity and $400,000 in tax revenue from a UFC event. Instead the money and excitement will be in Philadelphia this weekend where the gate is already $3.4 million. The Philadelphia Daily News ran an eight-page pullout about the bout on Friday. “We’re covering this almost like a Super Bowl,” said long-time Philly scribe Bernard Fernandez.
PREDICTION: Florian by decision. Silva by submission.
**
Broadway Boxing returns on Aug. 26 at BB Kings in Times Square. Unbeaten junior welterweight Joelo Torres (10–0-1, 6 KOs) of Puerto Rico will be featured in the main event. The undercard will include Olympian Argenis Mendez (13-1, 8 KOs) of the Dominican Republic, unbeaten heavyweight Tor Hamer (7-0, 6 KOs) of New York, and newcomers Luis Del Valle (5-0, 3 KOs) of Newburgh and Eddie Irizarry (6-1, 2 KOs) of the Bronx. Tickets are available from $125 to $55 by calling DiBella Entertainment at (212) 947-2557.
**
HBO’s “24/7” series covering Floyd Mayweather’s fight with Juan Manuel Marquez may be taping from a Las Vegas jail. Floyd’s uncle and trainer Roger Mayweather is in trouble again. He was charged by Las Vegas police on Monday with among other things battery strangulation stemming from a confrontation with a professional female fighter he once trained. Whether this affects his availability to train Floyd for his Sept. 19 fight with Marquez is unclear. In recent years, Roger Mayweather has spent time in jail for assaulting another female and was suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for causing a near riot during Floyd’s fight with Zab Judah in 2006.
