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The Wait Was Worth It

Apr 18, 2008 12:20 PM John Chandler


Photo property of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s quest to finally hold an event in Canada was long and hard.

Rumblings of the organization planning to finally make the trek up north first started in late 2006. UFC President Dana White frequently mentioned in the media that he planned to take the promotion to Montreal for a show in April 2007 but the card was ultimately called off months prior due to unknown circumstances.

Then came a set date in October of last year. White claimed that Montreal native Georges St. Pierre wouldn’t be part of the event but the organization would have at least made it to Canada, perhaps using a smaller debut show to set up a larger event in the future.

Everything seemed set in stone. However the Montreal Canadiens’ schedule provided too many obstacles to overcome and White and company were back to square one, ultimately choosing Cincinnati, Ohio as the site for Rich Franklin’s rematch with Anderson Silva last year.

Yet through it all, the UFC finally made it, and the wait was certainly worth it.

Tomorrow night’s event may potentially end up being the biggest event in the organization’s history. White’s stubbornness to wait for an opening in the Bell Centre’s schedule and not opt to hold an event in a smaller venue paid off in a big way - UFC 83 sold out in less than two days and the UFC’s fighters will now compete in front of the largest crowd they’ve ever seen.

The luck of the draw had St. Pierre able to fight in front of his hometown after all. Not only that, but he’ll be attempting to regain his welterweight title and avenge a loss against Matt Serra in the biggest fight of his young career thus far. On top of that a slew of other Canadian fighters are also slated to compete as well.

While the multiple cancellations and postponements may have been a drag, in the long run, I think everyone will agree that the wait was well worth it.

General • Personalities • Dana White • Georges St Pierre • UFC

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Comments:

1. C. Conway
from Vancouver, B.C.
Apr 18, 2008 1:25 PM

Been waiting a year for this. Should be a classic.

2. Anon
from USA
Apr 18, 2008 5:20 PM

It would really figure if St. Pierre lost this match. He’s easily my favorite, and I’m convinced he’s the superior fighter. Hopefully he’ll prove me correct.
But back to my first line. I see this match a lot like I saw the Brock Lesnar match. A lot of people failed to realize that if Brock had won, that would be GOOD for MMA because chances are crowds would grow enormously, thus fighters would be paid more.
If St. Pierre loses, Canada as a whole may feel a lot like any WWE fans might have felt after seeing Lesnar lose, even though no one seems to give him credit for fighting such a big name as his second MMA fight ever. That alone makes him credible, but I digress.
GSP is one of my favorites, and at times my favorite of all. If he’s mentally prepared this time, I can’t wait to see him fight. He’s always fun to watch.

3. John Chandler
from Philadelphia, PA
Apr 18, 2008 6:07 PM

I actually think it would have been terrible for the sport if Lesnar beat Mir. To the regular person, it would have likely made MMA look easy and seem like any kind of athlete can go ahead and be successful out of nowhere.

The amount of professional wrestling and casual fans that would have watched the UFC because of Lesnar peaked in February because of the curiosity level. People watched and saw. Now only those interested in seeing him fight again will watch besides the hardcore fans this time around.

4. Anon
from USA
Apr 19, 2008 12:16 AM

But you have to consider this when saying that:
I know your view seems to be the universal view for people who keep track of all the online forums, watch all the shows, etc. Basically, if some big guy can just walk in, then it makes MMA look like a joke.
The fact would be, if Brock won, he would have won. Image would have no bearing on the fact a former champion had lost. If WWE hypothetically (I most certainly don’t believe this an ounce) could walk all over MMA fighters, then it’d be obvious the current MMA generation just isn’t up to speed. I certainly agree with what you’re saying, that hypothetical scenario would look bad. At the same time though, it’s pretty silly hoping MMA fighters come out on top only to look good, rather than because they can actually fight. Just my two cents.
Anyways, didn’t mean to derail this entry. So here’s more personal bias towards GSP!

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