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By: Alex Williams, MMATorch Contributor Dave Meltzer has the story:
"--There is a lot of trouble regarding UFC 97 in Montreal scheduled for 4/18. . . [T]he Alcohol, Races & Game commission is saying that UFC can come as long as they ban elbow or knee strikes. I spoke with Marc Ratner of UFC who confirmed that this issue is going on and that they are trying to work with the commission to get the unified MMA rules back in place. It's a major sports story today in Montreal and at least on the air, they are reporting it as this may result in the show being canceled. The director of communications for the commission, M. Rejean Theriault said it would be difficult to accept the rules in time for the 4/18 show, and said that the commission did not properly due do their job in allowing knees and elbows at the show last year (thanks to Eric Bonin)."
Penick's Analysis: This is one of the more absurd things to come out in quite some time. The fact that there are claims out there stating the commission didn't even know about UFC 83 until just recently is completely laughable. This is another case of one incident, this being a recent local event in Quebec that got out of hand with confusion as to the rules being used, being allowed to change the perceptions or rules for an entire sport. It's along the lines of making helmets a necessity for youth hockey coaches due to a couple of freak accidents. There's not a chance the UFC will bend to these supposed "rule changes" this commission deems necessary, and at the very least the show will have to be moved. It's most disappointing for the fans in Montreal, many of whom have purchased pre-sale tickets, and for the city itself to have this quite frankly inept commission trying to snuff this event out.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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