UFC 97 to remain in Montreal on April 18
by Jesse Holland on Feb 18, 2009 12:07 PM EST
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UFC 97 "Redemption," which is scheduled to take place from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on April 18, will remain in Canada after UFC officials were apparently able to convince the Quebec Athletic Commission (QAC) that the show must go on or it would be moved elsewhere, according to CKAC Sports Radio 730 AM and reported on CorusSports.com.
Despite the success of UFC 83 that was held at the Bell Centre in Montreal on April 19 of 2008 and the potential millions of dollars that would be pumped into the Canadian economy, the QAC was originally steadfast on the mixed martial arts rules that have been in place, yet rarely enforced.
The Quebec regulations, which appear to have been ignored for over seven years, forbid elbow and knee strikes, judo throws, slams and even call for a downed fighter to get a chance to recover with his opponent sent to a neutral corner.
The old administration of the QAC was reportedly tolerant of the use of North America’s Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts. That apparently went out the window along with most of Mel’s Studio after a near riot at the Titans Fighting event held on February 6.
In the main event against Steve Bosse, James "The Colossus" Thompson immediately went for the takedown and rattled off some textbook ground and pound - despite a supposed agreement to adhere to the old rules of Canadian MMA that disallowed ground attacks.
The crowd reacted violently in disapproval, showering the cage with bottles and debris. The show was halted and both fighters and Referee Yves Lavigne ran for their lives.
That incident had apparently prompted the QAC to spring into action and start doing things by the book -- effectively putting the kibosh on UFC 97. However with millions of dollars at stake and over 22,000 fans who already purchased their tickets, it appears an exception has been made -- at least for now.
Aside from banning foot stomps, details of the arrangement are not yet available, but a press conference is expected later today to make it official.
UFC 97 will feature middleweight champion Anderson Silva, putting his 185-pound title on the line against number one division contender, Thales Leites. In the co-main event, Mauricio Rua — fresh off his less-than-thrilling victory over Mark "The Hammer" Coleman at UFC 93 — will challenge former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell.
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So what is the compromise? Are they altering the rules? I really hope not this would set a terrible precedent!
by ldcpanther on Feb 18, 2009 12:15 PM EST reply actions
I am pleasantly surprised… I didn’t think this would move forward. Totally glad to be wrong.
by DJ on Feb 18, 2009 1:16 PM EST up reply actions
google " joe rogans open letter to kelloggs"..very very very funny!
by newfie-mma-fan on Feb 18, 2009 4:14 PM EST up reply actions
lololol!!! I read that shit yest, couldnt agree more! Funny $hit!
by BOW on Feb 18, 2009 6:06 PM EST up reply actions
Did you guys hear what the compromise is? Its the funniest thing I have ever heard!
originally these pain in the ass Quebecians were saying no elbows, Knees, Judo throws, slams, and no ground fighting….
now they agreed to a “compromise” if thats what you want to call it!
Get ready for the big Compromise! Drum Roll please…. NO FOOT STOMPS!!!!! Lmfao…this is actually a very serious post!
crazy french!
by john on Feb 18, 2009 6:06 PM EST up reply actions
Dana said that if he wasn’t going to get the fights the way he wanted it, he was going to compare the UFC to NASCAR one more time on Canadian tv.
by naturalshadow on Feb 19, 2009 3:15 AM EST up reply actions
If someone can understand French, perhaps there is some information in the link above?
by JTD on Feb 18, 2009 12:25 PM EST up reply actions
no no the rules stay the same- they just got permission to allow elbows and ground fighting for the UFC but other organizations still have to follow the rules… in other words dana white probebly gave them a nice cash settlement lol
by ricky on Feb 18, 2009 12:29 PM EST up reply actions
This is very good news – having a card with Silva and Chuck cancelled would not be good.
by JTD on Feb 18, 2009 12:33 PM EST up reply actions
yeha i think in this situation since the ufc has never had any real serious injuries (except corey hill) the QAC had to give in
by randy murders on Feb 18, 2009 12:34 PM EST up reply actions
I agree with Ricky…its all about the dollas.
by Stryker on Feb 18, 2009 12:49 PM EST up reply actions
The made a compromise for French-Canadian rules which allows for the greasing of shoulders and backs.
Sorry just had to get that one in there.
by DDT on Feb 18, 2009 12:39 PM EST up reply actions
Silva by TKO or KO. Lidell by TKO or KO……..man, Shogun has really fallen off the wagon. Hope he comes in prepared for this one…..
by The5thBeatle on Feb 18, 2009 1:25 PM EST up reply actions
there is no footstomps allowed but everything else they said was banned is now allowed so i guess that is a compromise
by matt on Feb 18, 2009 1:43 PM EST up reply actions
No footstomps? Somewhere Chris Leben is shedding a tear.
by DDT on Feb 18, 2009 2:17 PM EST up reply actions
Two good jokes in one thread? You’re turning into the new me.
by PW on Feb 18, 2009 2:51 PM EST up reply actions
Nothing like a slow work day to get the creative juices flowing.
by Dana White on Feb 18, 2009 3:31 PM EST up reply actions
UFC 99 to have cro cop vs. randy, and wand vs franklin at 185
by MGB on Feb 18, 2009 4:15 PM EST up reply actions
i heard rumors of cro cop fighting on this card but i have not heard about him fight randy couture. i know randy just had elbow surgey and is doing some more actin in april i think. Also i read about the wandy vs. franklin fight and according to that source the bout will likely take place at a catch weight of 195 pounds
by matt on Feb 18, 2009 6:54 PM EST up reply actions
great, hey dana, spend the effort to get to western canada ( vacouver) you know, the place where the 2010 olympics are, we will fill g.m. place in record time, huge mma fan base.
by daz on Feb 18, 2009 12:17 PM EST reply actions
That would be sweet. GM place is 5 minutes from where I live.
by Jeremyjackson on Feb 18, 2009 1:40 PM EST up reply actions
I’ll probably not order it just to be on the safe side. I just dont want to purchase it and have some last minute BS rules change or stoppage.
by El Mexicutioner, formerly The Mexicutioner on Feb 18, 2009 12:19 PM EST reply actions
lol mexi. if they don’t cancel the show, it will be on ppv. if they cancelled it last minute, you won’t get charged!
by kevin on Feb 18, 2009 3:46 PM EST up reply actions
I meant more in terms of how the fights may or may not be officiated on the PPV. The commission may say one thing, but then you might have some ref that screws up a match because he may confuse the rules or something. I dont know, maybe I’m just being too skeptical.
by El Mexicutioner, formerly The Mexicutioner on Feb 18, 2009 5:25 PM EST up reply actions
looks like Dana and the UFC and CO have alot of pull. sucks thoguh, i was hoping they would have changed it to Vegas so i could go. I bought some tickets but my friends didnt want to go all the way to canada after all and were saving to go to 100. so now im jsu gonna sell my tix on ebay or stub hub!
by manalito on Feb 18, 2009 12:19 PM EST reply actions
oh yeah, poor you. have some sympathy for others, you live in vegas! You’re getting UFC 100, not to mention almost every other UFC show.
by Stryker on Feb 18, 2009 12:52 PM EST up reply actions
yea man your getting tickets for ufc 100 and im stuck with tickets to ufc 96
by matt on Feb 18, 2009 1:44 PM EST up reply actions
“Mr. White, if we allow you to host UFC 97 will you just leave and stop ranting and dropping the f bomb repeatedly?”
by JTD on Feb 18, 2009 12:22 PM EST reply actions
Yeah, I’ll f*cking stop using the f*cking f-bomb. Why the f*ck not? Oh you mean now? Okay starting right f*cking now I will stop using the f*cking f-bomb….
So, how the f*ck am I doing?
by Dana White on Feb 18, 2009 2:21 PM EST up reply actions
just stay in america and get tv deals in other countries!.. 22.000 ppl is not even a big deal but in MMA terms i guess it is..
by RoB on Feb 18, 2009 12:28 PM EST reply actions
thats 22000 people at over 100$ a ticket minimum some are over 5k from what i hear, and vegas doesn’t even sell over 17000 on a consistant basis why not do that there?
by randy murders on Feb 18, 2009 12:36 PM EST up reply actions
yea ok then.. but on tv you get millions of viewers and that’s just more important than selling out an arena in a place where they can barely get the sport legalized..
by RoB on Feb 18, 2009 12:58 PM EST up reply actions
You’re speaking as if Canada is on the other-side of the world from the US. The PPV buys will still be there like any UFC. The fact that Silva and Liddell are on the cards will practically guarrentee a very profitable event. And like randy mentioned, the Bell Centre has a capacity of 22,000 which still holds the record for the highest live attendence in the UFC.
by -dkz- on Feb 18, 2009 1:12 PM EST up reply actions
Thankfully, time zones travel North to South… or South to North if you read maps from the bottom up.
by DJ on Feb 18, 2009 5:18 PM EST up reply actions
It’s not a country thing, it’s a province thing just like in the States where it’s not legal in all states…
by Neeko on Feb 18, 2009 12:39 PM EST up reply actions
your a fool for that comment rob…im canadian and you are the reason why we view many americans as a**holes…
by "I came, I saw, I conquered" on Feb 18, 2009 1:31 PM EST up reply actions
I’m not american, I live in europe, sry bro! the only reason to why i posted that comment is that it’s frustrating and a bit amateurish to not have everything cleared up before they start selling tickets and everything… and if they can’t be professional enough than they should just stay where they are and provide the events for all the viewers on TV
by RoB on Feb 18, 2009 2:07 PM EST up reply actions
that I agree with…just be careful when making comments regarding Canada which happens to be the country I’m proud to live in…
by McArthur on Feb 18, 2009 2:38 PM EST up reply actions
Totally agree… the UFC should clearly understand the rules of nation’s where they would like to hold sanctioned MMA events.
by DJ on Feb 18, 2009 5:21 PM EST up reply actions
yea your right dude…that last time they went to canada they pulled a gat of $5.1 million, but hey whats the point right.
by matt on Feb 18, 2009 1:46 PM EST up reply actions
WOW, ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?! WTF is wrong with those fans; throwing bottles and debris? Don’t those idiots know what Ground and pound is?? Why the hell are you at an MMA event if you don’t know what to expect. I’m calling BS on this card; perfectly good fights ruined. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO CANADA!!!!
by O damn he got caught on Feb 18, 2009 12:28 PM EST reply actions
easy bud calm ur self befor your spoil urself…. This was long time ago when people weren’t educated on MMA… the fight will go on at the Bell centre with the UFC rules…
by ricky on Feb 18, 2009 12:31 PM EST up reply actions
whew; thank god.. o thank god… breathing is slowing down… I’m ok now.. I’m ok.
by O damn he got caught on Feb 18, 2009 12:34 PM EST up reply actions
People did’nt throw shit because they don’t like MMA or the ground game, it’s because they did’nt get what they paid for…Don’t blame the fans, blame bad promoters…I tough Stephane Patry was doing a good job when he was running TKO, building prospects for the UFC (i think all the the French-Canadian that are in the UFC went through TKO) but i don’t know what the hell he was thinking with that crap. He tried the Kimbo promotion with Steve Bossé…
by Barnack on Feb 18, 2009 3:58 PM EST up reply actions
jeez, lets just get this card overwith already . . .
by COR on Feb 18, 2009 12:32 PM EST reply actions
i speak French and the compromise is that for now on, foot stamps will not be aloud any more in Quebec.that’s it…
by kazai on Feb 18, 2009 12:36 PM EST reply actions
Matt sera wouldnt fight there! I can still hear his annoying fn voice on tuf yelling “FOOT STOMPS” every fn second!
by BOW on Feb 19, 2009 9:41 AM EST up reply actions
What do food stamps have to do with this card KAZAI???
by pickle on Feb 18, 2009 2:01 PM EST up reply actions
Montreal has a pretty strong mma fan base, who know exactly what gnp is. But it was basically supposed to be a kickboxing match. So when Eves stopped the fight, everyone freaked out. Seems like pretty poor event organization. I don’t know exactly what happened, but that’s how it appeared to be. Anyone know the real deal?
by DH on Feb 18, 2009 12:36 PM EST reply actions
You can only imaging my relief. Yup that is sarcasm!
by JoJo on Feb 18, 2009 12:55 PM EST reply actions
WHAT! C-mon McArthur! Chuck is still the man, Shogun is the one getting knocked out!
by JV on Feb 18, 2009 1:17 PM EST up reply actions
sorry JV…gotta go with John on this one…just plain sick of Chuck for no good reason I’d care to mention bro
by McArthur on Feb 18, 2009 1:23 PM EST up reply actions
Whats to be sick of? Chuck has always been an exciting fighter!
by JV on Feb 18, 2009 1:29 PM EST up reply actions
exciting yes…but I am suspicious of the politics surrounding his friendship with Dana which has (in the past) led me to believe he can be hypocritical…and on a much more immature note on my part…he told Dana that GSP was greasing…
by McArthur on Feb 18, 2009 2:36 PM EST up reply actions
Chuck has just lost “it” .. too old, too slow, not enough power anymore, his lack of technique shows in every fight, and he can’t defend himself.. if Chuck wins it’d be by decision but i doubt that is going to happen.. Tito Ortiz would dominate Shogun btw!
by RoB on Feb 18, 2009 3:39 PM EST up reply actions
You forgot too fat. That belly seems to be geting in his way lately.
by ktown on Feb 18, 2009 4:28 PM EST up reply actions
not if Shogun shows up like he did against Coleman; Chuck may have lost a few steps and might be near the end of his carreer, but he can still KO just about anyone.
by O damn he got caught on Feb 18, 2009 1:18 PM EST up reply actions
It’s crazy to think that a Chuck Liddell – Shogun fight would be so lackluster. Just shows how far these 2 greats have fallen.
by JTD on Feb 18, 2009 1:36 PM EST up reply actions
true…2 years ago it would’ve been almost as big as Chuck/Wand
by McArthur on Feb 18, 2009 2:41 PM EST up reply actions
O hot damn… what exactly leads you to believe that Chuck can KO just about anyone?
by RoB on Feb 18, 2009 3:34 PM EST up reply actions
Chuck’s KO’d a who’s who of MMA fighters throughout his carreer 2/3rds of his wins are by KO. If Liddell connects clean it’s over; thats what he does, thats what he’s known for. Are you seriously sitting here saying that he CAN’T finish a top fighter? That Chuck Liddell can no longer KO someone at the UFC level of competition? If so, sell that somewhere else, I don’t buy it. At all.
by O damn he got caught on Feb 18, 2009 3:56 PM EST up reply actions
“The first thing to go as a fighter ages are his reflexes and speed. The LAST thing to go is his POWER, and, if he has taken good care of his body, his stamina.”
Last Stand for the Iceman
-Mark Lorenzana
Not the first time I’ve heard someone say this, and it seems to be the general consensus, I’ll take the pro sports writers/fighters opinions on fighters aging any day. Chuck is still dangerous, if he’s on his A game, he can win this fight.
by O damn he got caught on Feb 18, 2009 4:05 PM EST up reply actions
you see speed and explosiveness translates into punching power.. his physical strength may still be there yes, and he could still win via TKO but not by a straight up knockout against the TOP LHW’s of today.. and just to be perfectly clear Chuck has alot of TKO’s and not too many KO’s at all..
by RoB on Feb 18, 2009 7:57 PM EST up reply actions
Sorry Rob, DONT AGREE, plain and simple, no one is going to tell me that CHUCK LIDDELL, CAN’T KO SOMEONE. PUH LEEEZZZEEE
by O damn he got caught on Feb 19, 2009 11:40 AM EST up reply actions
Hmmmm. No foot stomps in the future = no more UFC in Quebec. Foot stomps are annoying but I don’t see Dana caving to those wine sipping, cheese eating frenchies.
by ldcpanther on Feb 18, 2009 1:03 PM EST reply actions
For your information : It’s Quebec not France. We are beer drinkers and we don’t specially like cheese.
by Vai777 on Feb 18, 2009 1:26 PM EST up reply actions
Zere’s no Canada like French Canada, it’s ze best Canada in ze land. The other Canada is barely Canada, if you lived here for a day you’d understand.
by PW on Feb 18, 2009 2:54 PM EST up reply actions
Too bad they don’t allow my personal favourite… soccer kicks to the head of a downed opponent. The only thing I enjoy more than punching pregnant women is a good ole soccer kick to the head of a downed opponent.
by Jeremyjackson on Feb 18, 2009 1:53 PM EST reply actions
Really? Huff some gas? You normally have some really great posts then you ruin it with dumb shit like that.
by Chief on Feb 18, 2009 4:00 PM EST up reply actions
OK, sorry Chief. I’m having a really bad day.
by Jeremyjackson on Feb 18, 2009 4:42 PM EST up reply actions
They should go ahead and move this card to the USA because Silva will kill Leites.
by mikehunt on Feb 18, 2009 2:02 PM EST reply actions
I just heard that Leites called the Quebec gang and begged them to put in the new rules, no elbows, knees or throws from A Silva.
Maybe he can then last the whole first round? Nah…..still going to get mugged.
by The Slovak on Feb 18, 2009 2:16 PM EST reply actions
haha…and no punching in the face or head cause that can cause serious brain damage
by McArthur on Feb 18, 2009 3:09 PM EST up reply actions
This card looks kind of lame, gee I wonder who will win the main event?
by nathan on Feb 18, 2009 3:18 PM EST reply actions
WAR WANDERLEI, brazilians have not been kind to Rich and that Muai Thai clinch seems to give him a lot of problems. I’m saying Wandi ends this fight in rd 2 via TKO , KNEES.
by O damn he got caught on Feb 18, 2009 4:37 PM EST up reply actions
Ur trippin Nathan, this card is stacked with talent, if u think this card is lame i’m wonderin what card u think has been this stacked since UFC 92? U’ve got Liddell, Silva, Shogun, Cantwell, Kang, Loiseau, Kongo, Stann, Cane. This card is lookin good to me, they’ve got a lot of interestin match-ups on this one. I’m thinkin Silva, Liddell, and Kang take it with TKO’s or Ko’s
by Mike-C on Feb 18, 2009 3:51 PM EST reply actions
the card is decent but the main events are horrible. they might as well have fedor fight eddie sanchez for the main event. plus the outcome of the co main event, liddell/shogun, doesnt really have an impact on the 205 division.
the best fights on the card are kongo vs hardonk and cane vs cantwell.
mostly im just bitter that silva has another undermatched opponent.
by COR on Feb 18, 2009 4:33 PM EST up reply actions
The UFC shouldn’t have wavered anything. Dana should have told them that It’s are rules or we take are money elsewhere. How retarded are these canadians?
by broncos12405 on Feb 18, 2009 4:07 PM EST reply actions
Irony = dude accusing an entire country of retardation while misspelling a three-letter, one syllable word twice.
by Jeremyjackson on Feb 18, 2009 4:45 PM EST reply actions
I see your point I guess i rushed that comment, but i wasn’t talking about the whole country I was talking about the guys on commision.
by broncos12405 on Feb 18, 2009 10:00 PM EST up reply actions
all that needed to happen was dana to hop on a jet, give the ole do you want to be a f-ing host speech. montreal got really motivated, and now the fight is back on. well done dana
by day1er on Feb 18, 2009 5:38 PM EST reply actions
Comon guys do not bitch us quebecers!! this is not something we wanted, this is a stupid gang who have a power trip in the government agency. We are big MMA fans and you’ll see with another Bell Centre fill out at capacity of 22,000 which will still holds the record for the highest live attendence in the UFC!!!! We are waiting Silva for the big fight!! AGAIN DO NOT SPIT ON CANADIANS or QUEBECCERS – this is only a power trip of few people in that Quebec agency!
by Marc on Feb 18, 2009 7:36 PM EST reply actions
Oh wow! Suddenly the Quebec commission is allowing the fight after meeting with the UFC brass?!? You know some money changed hands somewhere…just another tax… I should have been a politican.
by biggenutz on Feb 18, 2009 8:55 PM EST reply actions
This is insane, I think that the fight is back on because they’ll loose money!
by SillySyl on Feb 18, 2009 9:38 PM EST reply actions
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