Report: UFC to Make Toronto Debut April 30th

Tuesday, December 7, 2010


By FCF Staff

The Ultimate Fighting Championship will finally make its debut in Canada’s largest city, Toronto, Ontario, on April 30th. UFC President Dana White made the announcement at a press conference in the city this morning according to a report from the Toronto Star.

In addition to the fact that the UFC will finally break ground in one of North America’s largest markets, the promotion announced that the card will be hosted by the city’s Rogers Center, and not the much smaller Air Canada Center. The Rogers Center, formerly known as The Skydome, can seat over 65,000 people and is home to the Toronto Blue Jays and the city’s pro football team, The Toronto Argonauts.

Based on previous attendance numbers and reported pay-per-view buy rates in Canada, the April 30th event could break North American MMA attendance and live-gate records.

Just yesterday, Ontario’s Ministry of Consumer Services announced that MMA promoters could begin applying for licenses on January 1st to host events in 2011. Several months ago the Ontario Provincial Government announced that it was overturning a ban on MMA, opening the door for the sport in Canada’s most populated province.

No fights for the UFC 131 card were announced.