Canada’s most populated province, Ontario, will start accepting mixed martial arts event applications from promoters starting in January. The news came Monday from National Post:
Ontario announced Monday it would begin accepting applications on Jan. 1, 2011 from mixed martial arts promoters who want to stage fights in the province.
In August Premier Dalton McGuinty’s government said it would allow the controversial but popular fights. The province said at the time it will adopt the same rules for the bouts that are being widely used across North America.
“We have heard from fans across the province and it’s clear that MMA is a popular sport Ontarians are following,” said Consumer Services Minister John Gerretsen. “Now we have the tools in place to help keep competitors safe, while providing an economic boost to communities that want to host professional MMA events.”
Although the sport of MMA continues to evolve and become more mainstream, there are still three Canadian provinces and four states in the U.S. where the sport remains unsanctioned.