The Toronto Star this morning put out an article about the fight to have MMA sanctioned in Ontario, Canada's most populous province, where like most Canadian provinces, there is a huge MMA fanbase. The article is relatively sympathetic to MMA and it would appear that the writer did some research for it, even if there is a couple of small errors made. Here are some of the points:

Most Ontario residents have to restrict their passion to the TV screen. Mixed martial arts – both amateur tournaments and professional fights – are banned in the province. They're permitted everywhere else in Canada except Newfoundland and Saskatchewan, according to UFC officials.

Ontario's lucrative market has made the province ground zero for UFC's expansion drive. The company, considered one of the hottest sports properties in the world, has hired Noble Chummar, a partner at the Toronto law firm Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP, as a registered lobbyist. Also advising UFC is Cassels' chairman, former premier David Peterson.

[UFC VP] Ratner describes the number of pay-per-view buys in Canada as "staggering," but won't divulge figures. (It is speculated that UFC 100, a series of fights last July broadcast in 51 countries, sold 1.5 million pay-per-view orders, at $44.95 each.)

He says 42 per cent of the 18,900 fans at Montreal's Bell Centre for a UFC event in 2008 were from Toronto. With average prices of $262, the two UFC events held in Montreal so far each grossed about $5 million in ticket sales. UFC is planning matches in Vancouver next July, but needs the approval of city council.

Nevada and New Jersey were the first states to sanction MMA events in 2001. Today, 41 of 48 states with athletic commissions have given MMA the green light, Ratner says. Massachusetts is poised to be next, followed by New York, he adds.

But Ontario doesn't seem ready to jump on the bandwagon anytime soon.

For those who don't know, the Toronto Star is one of Canada's bigger newspapers, and is usually associated with a slight liberal bent. The article really is worth reading in full, and I do think its significant because they gave it a lot of ink, and it is done by their feature writer who, I think, gives a pretty good representation of the history of MMA to the casual reader and talks about the UFC's lobbying efforts in the province, which involves enlisting the help of a former premier.

Full article available here:

http://www.thestar.com/sports/wrestling/ufc/article/728956--blood-sweat-and-fears-the-battle-for-ultimate-fighting?bn=1