Ontario, Canada, moves to regulate MMA by 2011

By Brett Okamoto

Saturday, Aug. 14, 2010 | 12:18 p.m.

The Canadian province of Ontario is "taking steps" to sanction mixed martial arts events according to a statement released on the government’s website Saturday.

Despite a high level of interest in MMA among all Canadian provinces, Ontario remains one of the last North American regions to legalize the sport.

Currently, six Canadian jurisdictions and 46 American states sanction MMA events.

UFC President Dana White has long lobbied for Ontario to sanction MMA and recently opened a UFC office in its main city of Toronto.

White has estimated in the past that a UFC show in Toronto could draw a live attendance of somewhere near 30,000.

The Ontario government echoed that guess on Saturday, stating that a "major MMA" event could draw up to 30,000 fans and generate up to $6 million in its local economy.

“Our government has been monitoring MMA for some time,” said Sophia Aggelonitis, Minister of Consumer Services. “We know that the sport has evolved and that Ontarians want to see it here.

“My goal is to make sure we have the tools to keep the competitors safe and provide an economic boost to communities that want to host professional MMA events.”

White recently told the Las Vegas Sun that he would hold Canadian fighter George St. Pierre’s scheduled title fight on Dec. 11 in Toronto "in a heartbeat," if he could.

It doesn’t appear that things will fall in line that quickly, however, and the city won’t see its first UFC show until 2011.

Brett Okamoto can be reached at 948-7817 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at LVSunFighting