When the House of Commons ruled in June to legalize professional combat sporting events like mixed martial arts and boxing nationwide, it opened the door for provinces to make the next move to bring in events.
Last week, the Government of Saskatchewan did its part. It announced approval to establish an athletic commission, which would sanction any events.
"We've been lobbied, if you will, quite heavily on the demand side to have an athletics commission. I've not heard from any organizations or individuals saying we ought not to do this at this point in time," said Kevin Doherty, minister of Parks, Culture and Sport.
The commission's role will be to ensure fighter safety by making them go through pre-fight eye exams, blood tests, concussion screening and other medical testing.
Provinces interested in having events, such as boxing or MMA, need the commissions put in place. They also have the option to pass that responsibility down to the municipal level.
The biggest organization this affects is the UFC.
"I think they want to come there. We got a great demographic that loves fighting and I think it's a smart move. Especially for a Fight Night or a Fox Sports 1. One of the smaller shows to ease their way in. I think it would do quite well in Saskatchewan," said Mitch Clarke, a Saskatoon-born UFC fighter.
Many Canadian cities have already enjoyed success hosting UFC events, including Toronto, Ont., which set the organization's attendance record in 2011 with over 55,000 fans filling the seats of the Rogers Centre.
While a Saskatoon or Regina event most likely couldn't come close to that kind of attendance figure, Clarke sees the province being able to support the fast-growing sport.
"You do the numbers research, we have one of the highest Pay Per View buy rates in Canada for the UFCs," he said. "In Winnipeg, I got a huge pop when I walked out. I got a lot of support from the local people, I think a lot of the people are from Saskatchewan."
All 12 of Clarke's professional MMA bouts, including three in the UFC, have been in Canada, but he still gets excited at the idea of fighting for the top dog in his home town. It's something he wasn't sure would ever happen.
"I just didn't know how long it would take for us to get a commission going, let alone for the UFC to want to get there as well," he said. "When I fought in Calgary, Tom Wright [director of UFC operations in Canada], he told me he wanted to bring a Fight Night or a UFC event to Saskatchewan. That made me very happy because I knew that, the work they did [to bring it to] Vancouver and Ontario, they helped with, so it's very nice to see."
The UFC often tries to include fighters on cards in or near their home town. This is good news for Clarke, but he knows the timing can't always line up.
"That's always the plan, but I'll fight where ever. I just love to fight, but I'd love to fight back home," he said.
The hope is for the commission to be set up by next summer. There's no word yet if an event will definitely be on its way, or where it would be held. Saskatoon appears to have the best option for a location as the Credit Union Centre holds a little over 15, 000 people. The Brandt Centre in Regina holds only 6, 000.
The new legislation will have benefits beyond just UFC hopefuls. The reality is, illegal and amateur events take place whether a commission is set up or not, putting fighters in danger.
"I'm not going to sugarcoat it, it's essentially a dangerous sport, but [the commissions] do everything they can to minimize the amount of damage you take in a fight. I appreciate that as someone who's putting their face, their livelihood, on the line. So, it's good to see that these events are going to be safer for the people who are trying to get into the sport" said Clarke.
"What we want to see is that, we know there are kids that are training in these gyms and learning techniques in MMA type of events. We want to ensure the safety of these kids. We want to ensure the safety of our athletes here in the province and that there's a legitimate, regulated sport that can occur here in the province, administered by a very well run organization like the Saskatchewan Martial Arts Association on the amateur side," said Doherty.
