XFC to Host First Regulated MMA Show in Tennessee
By Brian Furby, FightTicker.com blogger
The XFC is reporting that the promotion will host the first-ever regulated MMA show in Tennessee on Friday, February 20, in Knoxville. TUF 6 alum Dan Barrera will be on the card as well as women's MMA fighter and former pro boxer Chevelle Hallback, in addition to up-and-coming light heavyweight and Louisville, KY native CT Turner.
From an XFC press release:
For the first time in Tennessee sports history, the state’s Athletic Commission has approved a professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight card. XFC, the Southeast’s largest independent MMA promotion and the company dedicated to launching the careers of the champions of tomorrow, is pleased to announce that XFC 7: “School of Hard Knox” will be held on Friday, February 20 in Knoxville, in Tennessee’s 21 thousand-capacity Thompson-Boling Arena. This will be the first-ever professional MMA event sanctioned anywhere in Tennessee.
“Rarely can a fight card be considered historic even before the first bell chimes,” said John Prisco, president of XFC, “but February 20 will signal a brand new era in Tennessee Mixed Martial Arts. And I’m so ecstatic that we’ll be able to offer Tennessee sports fans a night of outstanding cage fights that’s truly worthy of the historic moment. We’re going to be showcasing some of the greatest emerging talent in the entire world of MMA – and the next generation of superstars.”
The XFC show will happen approximately six weeks before the UFC makes its inaugural venture into the Tennessee MMA market. Seeing how the XFC managed to beat some of the UFC's attendance numbers in Florida, I'm interested to see how the two promotions will stack up when each hosts an event in such close proximity to one another.
-PreView
(For the original press release, head over to the XFC's website.)
Comments
Do people get a discount if
Do people get a discount if they are missing teeth or are married to their sister!
Godfather and Co-Founder of The MMafia
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the titans have some time
the titans have some time off...
Underboss MMAfia
Head of the West Coast Family
Very cool. Two positives in
Very cool. Two positives in this story: XFC growing its brand and another state hosting a regulated MMA event.
XFC appears to be the Southeast version of Strikeforce....
It's amazing how these
It's amazing how these smaller states who aren't as cultural as NY can get MMA legalized and host great events but my state can't get its act together and bring MMA in which would help the economy and make their residents happy.
Godfather and Co-Founder of The MMafia
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KingLev wrote: It's amazing
It's amazing how these smaller states who aren't as cultural as NY can get MMA legalized and host great events but my state can't get its act together and bring MMA in which would help the economy and make their residents happy.
Godfather and Co-Founder of The MMafia
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King I would love to get MMA sanctioned in New York. But I was talking to a friend of mine who works in Albany and he stated that one of the major problems is regulation and enforcement. According to him, even those who would support MMA in NY are worried about anyone throwing together MMA matches. Mostly the big issue is law suits. And you know we are the litigation capital of the world here so it makes sense in some ways. I think they should not allow Amateur matches here and establish among other things a base pay scale for pros so that there will not be a bunch of garage idiots throwing up fences and three letter events every where.
Wardog
And Caesar's spirit, ranging for revenge,
With Ate by his side come hot from hell,
Shall in these confines with a monarch's voice
Cry 'Havoc,' and let slip the dogs of war;
My question is why is NY so
My question is why is NY so concerned about this when 35+ other states have figured all this stuff out already. It seems to me that there are plenty of blueprints for success.
From what I understand, the issue is more backroom political -- apparently the Fertittas have annoyed some unions in NY via their dealings with Station Casinos. I'll find the link for you...
There is a huge underground
There is a huge underground group of MMA fights happening all the time. The only way to curtail such events is to legalize MMA. That way there would be no reason for these guys to be fighting in a storage locker or garage somewhere. There is no reason this sport should not be legal in the 2nd largets market in the country. It's absurd, stupid and is costing the state millions of dollars in revenue.
Godfather and Co-Founder of The MMafia
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Check Out The Latest Edition Of The King's Court
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