PHILADELPHIA – Dana White is always looking forward, so it was no surprise that a frequent topic before and after last night’s UFC 101 was the future.
And in a surprise development – and an exciting one for Hub fight fans – the UFC president announced in a post-fight press conference that his organization is looking at Fenway Park [map] as a possible venue for the UFC when it finally breaks into the Boston market.
The UFC still needs the state to legislate mixed martial arts regulation. And White’s hopes toward that end were boosted two weeks ago by the state Senate’s 34-1 vote to endorse such a bill. Marc Ratner, the UFC vice president of regulation and governmental affairs, told the Herald at the time that a show in the summer of 2010 was being targeted.
Sen. James Timilty (D-Walpole), chairman of the Public Safety and Homeland Security committee, has said he hopes the bill will be signed into law by October.
The case with Philadelphia should further fuel optimism of UFC supporters. The city hosted last night’s event just five months after MMA regulation was legislated in Pennsylvania, illustrating how quickly the UFC can enter a new market.