UFC Celebrates Canadian Debut

As UFC president Dana White hustled through the lobby of the Odyssey Arena in Belfast last June, he noticed a Canadian reporter lined up with other journalists in the rain outside waiting to get in for UFC 72: Victory.

White wanted a word, it seemed. A few minutes later, the reporter was escorted to meet White for a tete-a-tete.

The UFC was finally coming to Canada, in the fall. And the happy UFC president wanted to spread the news.

That show didn't come off. Just as the April 2007 card failed to materialize. January 2008 was also a no-go. But April 2008 proved to be the perfect ticket.

The mixed martial arts giant makes its Canadian debut tomorrow at a soldout Bell Centre before the UFC's biggest ever live audience as Montreal's own Georges St Pierre looks to reclaim his welterweight belt from American Matt Serra. Thirteen thousand tickets were snapped up in one day in a pre-sale to the UFC Fight Club, a fan club for devotees willing to pay US$74.99 a year to get first crack at shows. The remaining 8,000-plus tickets disappeared in a minute when they went on sale to the general public.

The Montreal crowd is expected to erase the UFC's attendance record of 19,049 set at UFC 68: The Uprising on March 3, 2007, at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio - a show that produced the biggest crowd ever for a mixed martial arts event in North America.

"It's going to be insane," said former middleweight champion Rich Franklin, who fights Travis Lutter tomorrow.

"They're just eating MMA up up here," said former Pride champion Dan Henderson, who is in Montreal to corner lightweight Mark Bocek of Woodbridge, Ont.

White has long marvelled at Canadian mixed martial arts fans, calling Canada "a phenomenal breakthrough market for us, the sleeper market."

"When we were looking at this thing, when we first purchased it (in 2001), we had no idea that Canada would become so huge," he told The Canadian Press in an interview last April.

"When we see where our ticket sales are coming from, it is mind-boggling how many tickets are coming from Canada. For every fight. . .

I know now Canada is one of our biggest markets. I know that now. But when we bought it, I didn't expect it."

Canada has also provide to be fertile ground for fighters, as well. Saturday's card showcases 22 fighters: 10 Americans, eight Canadians and one apiece from Australia, Brazil, England and Japan.

Serra isn't talking about strategy in his fight against St Pierre but notes that the Montrealer has been using his wrestling skills in recent fights. And he suggests that if St Pierre does take him down, he has the goods to fight back.

"I pride myself on my jiu-jitsu," said Serra, who has a black belt. "He's got that long reach, those long limbs and I'll be latched on to them if we hit the floor at all. He's not going to feel safe down there.

"We'll see how it goes down."

St Pierre, a 10-1 favourite in his UFC 69: Shootout loss to Serra, has waited a year for a second chance. He is nothing but positive.

"Saturday night is going to be probably the best moment of my life so far. Winning a title in front of my people, it's going to be amazing."

Look for St Pierre to try to use his power and wrestling skills to take Serra down and then punish him.

While the title fight between Serra and St. Pierre is getting most of the attention, keep an eye on the co-main event that pits Franklin against Lutter.

Franklin, a former high school math teacher, is coming off a second loss to 185-pound champion Anderson Silva, considered to be the best pound-for-pound MMA fighter on the planet. And he is dealing with the January death of his father, victim of a heart attack at just 56. Franklin also had knee surgery in January.

Lutter has not fought since February 2007 when he was submitted by Silva in a bout downgraded from title status when Lutter failed to make weight. He was subsequently sidelined with a neck and back problem,.

Franklin is a well-rounded fighter with good striking power. Lutter is a jiu-jitsu black belt whose world is the ground. If Lutter can take Franklin down, the former champion will be in trouble.

If Franklin can keep the fight standing, Lutter may take his lumps.

"So it all comes down to the takedown war," Lutter said. "If I can take Rich down, it's going to be a good night for me. And if I can't, it's going to be a long night."

Source: timestranscript.canadaeast.com