In September 2007, despite the steadily rising popularity of mixed martial arts, Vancouver city council voted to ban MMA fights in the city. It took just over two years for things to change. On December 17, 2009, Vancouver city councillors reversed their position, voting 6-3 in favour of sanctioning mixed martial arts (MMA) fights for a two-year trial period between 2010 and 2012.
Vancouver Approves MMA Fight Sanctioning After Honour Combat Championship Trial Event
On November 27, 2009, three Vancouver city councillors - Heather Deal, Suzanne Anton, and Kerry Jang - attended the Honour Combat Championships mixed kickboxing/MMA fight card to get a feel for the sport. The sold-out event featured eight bouts and was the first mixed martial arts event sanctioned by the Vancouver Athletic Commission since the ban in 2007. MMA fights on the card included:
- Jonathan “The Aggressor” Agnew vs. Tak “Tsunami” Sasaki
- Jordan Knippelberg vs. Roman Wheeler
- Kiarash Moghaddam vs. Roozbeh Banihashemi
- Yusef Njie vs. Ty MacDougall
- Darcy Eckstrom vs. Rysam MacIver
Dana White Announces Plans to Host Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Event in Vancouver in 2010
Not everyone was waiting for Vancouver city council’s decision before making plans for MMA fights in the city. Dana White, president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) had already been alluding to an upcoming UFC event in Vancouver. Since Vancouver city council voted in favour of sanctioning mixed martial arts, Dana White has mentioned the possibility of an Ultimate Fighting Championship MMA show in Vancouver in June 2010. The event will likely be held at the 20,000-seat General Motors Place in downtown Vancouver.
Maximum Fighting Championship (MFC) - Vancouver’s Next Big MMA Fight Promotion?
The Maximum Fighting Championship, founded by Mark Pavelich, is based at the River Cree Resort and Casino in Edmonton, Alberta. A number of notable mixed martial artists from around the world have participated in MMA fights at Maximum Fighting Championship (MFC) events, including:
- Antonio McKee
- Travis Lutter
- Dean Lister
- Marvin Eastman
- Jason MacDonald
- Thales Leites
As one of the largest mixed martial arts (MMA) fight promotion companies in Canada, the Maximum Fighting Championship (MFC) is in a strong position to expand into the new market created by Vancouver city council’s recent decision to sanction mixed martial arts (MMA) fights.
Vancouver - A History in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and Combat Sports
Vancouver has a strong history in martial arts and combat sports and has been home to a number of world-class athletes. Some of Vancouver’s martial arts/combat sports stars are:
- Judo - Doug Rogers
- Brazilian jiu-jitsu - Marcus Soares, Stephan Kesting
- Freestyle wrestling - Daniel Igali
- Boxing - Tony “Kid Fire” Pep
- Kickboxing - Kultar “Black Mamba” Gill
- Mixed martial arts (MMA) - Denis Kang, Bibiano Fernandes
More about Vancouver's mixed martial arts history
Learn How to Fight at Vancouver MMA Schools
Vancouver is home to lots of martial arts academies and specific MMA schools where students can learn how to fight in styles ranging from tae kwon do to pankration to wing chun to capoeira to Brazilian jiu-jitsu and beyond. Aspiring mixed martial artists wanting to learn how to fight in Vancouver have several MMA schools to choose from. Three of Vancouver’s more popular MMA schools are:
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