BEER-RUN
07-18-2008, 12:30 PM
Done deal, per Sun Times...tickets will go on sale either Aug 9th, or Aug 15th..two different dates I've seen posted...
Exclusive: UFC comes to Chicago
EXCLUSIVE | Allstate Arena will host Illinois' first sanctioned MMA event Oct. 25
July 18, 2008Recommend (8)
BY ROMAN MODROWSKI Staff Reporter
October will be an exciting month in Chicago even if there isn't a World Series in town. UFC president Dana White is announcing through the Chicago Sun-Times that UFC 90 will take place Oct. 25 at Allstate Arena.
It will be the first UFC event held in the Chicago area.
''Chicago is a huge market for us,'' White said during a phone interview Wednesday. ''We track pay-per-view buys for our events and ratings on Spike TV, and Chicago is a killer market for us.
''There are tons of fans in Chicago and around Chicago, and it's going to be one of the places we hit often. It's a great fight town, and we're really pumped that we're finally getting this done.''
The UFC waited until its event could be sanctioned by the Illinois Athletic Commission before scheduling a show in the state. Wording had to be changed in Illinois laws to allow the commission to regulate mixed martial arts. UFC events will operate under the same safety guidelines as boxing and other sports.
''We only go to places with strong athletic commissions,'' White said. ''We'll never go to a place where [MMA] isn't legal yet.''
The UFC has been expanding to packed crowds in multiple states, as well as abroad. Spike's ''The Ultimate Fighter'' reality show, which qualifies fighters for the UFC, often beats mainstream sports on other channels.
A recent MMA card on network television drew huge ratings even though the quality of competition was nowhere near the UFC's.
White wouldn't speculate about who will be in the main event at UFC 90, but someone such as Forrest Griffin -- who beat Quinton ''Rampage'' Jackson on July 5 for the light-heavyweight championship -- would be a huge draw.
''What I won't do is set certain expectations about somebody, and then for whatever reason, that person can't make it,'' White said. ''But you know every time we go to a new place, we deliver. We're going to bring a big-time fight.''
One of the main attractions of the UFC is it offers quality fights throughout the card, not just for the main event. White said he'll announce the main-event participants in the Sun-Times.
Members of the ''UFC Fight Club'' on ufc.com will get the first crack at tickets. They are expected to go on sale to the general public Aug. 9 through Ticketmaster, the Allstate Arena box office and ufc.com.
http://www.suntimes.com/sports/boxing/1062498,CST-SPT-ufc18.article
Exclusive: UFC comes to Chicago
EXCLUSIVE | Allstate Arena will host Illinois' first sanctioned MMA event Oct. 25
July 18, 2008Recommend (8)
BY ROMAN MODROWSKI Staff Reporter
October will be an exciting month in Chicago even if there isn't a World Series in town. UFC president Dana White is announcing through the Chicago Sun-Times that UFC 90 will take place Oct. 25 at Allstate Arena.
It will be the first UFC event held in the Chicago area.
''Chicago is a huge market for us,'' White said during a phone interview Wednesday. ''We track pay-per-view buys for our events and ratings on Spike TV, and Chicago is a killer market for us.
''There are tons of fans in Chicago and around Chicago, and it's going to be one of the places we hit often. It's a great fight town, and we're really pumped that we're finally getting this done.''
The UFC waited until its event could be sanctioned by the Illinois Athletic Commission before scheduling a show in the state. Wording had to be changed in Illinois laws to allow the commission to regulate mixed martial arts. UFC events will operate under the same safety guidelines as boxing and other sports.
''We only go to places with strong athletic commissions,'' White said. ''We'll never go to a place where [MMA] isn't legal yet.''
The UFC has been expanding to packed crowds in multiple states, as well as abroad. Spike's ''The Ultimate Fighter'' reality show, which qualifies fighters for the UFC, often beats mainstream sports on other channels.
A recent MMA card on network television drew huge ratings even though the quality of competition was nowhere near the UFC's.
White wouldn't speculate about who will be in the main event at UFC 90, but someone such as Forrest Griffin -- who beat Quinton ''Rampage'' Jackson on July 5 for the light-heavyweight championship -- would be a huge draw.
''What I won't do is set certain expectations about somebody, and then for whatever reason, that person can't make it,'' White said. ''But you know every time we go to a new place, we deliver. We're going to bring a big-time fight.''
One of the main attractions of the UFC is it offers quality fights throughout the card, not just for the main event. White said he'll announce the main-event participants in the Sun-Times.
Members of the ''UFC Fight Club'' on ufc.com will get the first crack at tickets. They are expected to go on sale to the general public Aug. 9 through Ticketmaster, the Allstate Arena box office and ufc.com.
http://www.suntimes.com/sports/boxing/1062498,CST-SPT-ufc18.article