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UFC NOT BAILING YET
The UFC will not be bailing as of yet, despite the huge number of problems that they have been facing. Even as the rest of the fight-frenzied Canadian market warms to the boiling point for mixed martial arts, the country’s third largest city remains weirdly standoffish. You could argue that leading up to UFC 115 in June '10 and Saturday’s UFC 131 that Vancouver has put on a tour de force performance of how not to be an attractive and accommodating host for live MMA shows.
If the city isn’t openly hostile toward the sport, it certainly seems skittish. After first appearing to try to price the UFC out of town with steep insurance fees prior to UFC 115, it asked the company to pay for extra police patrols outside Rogers Arena during this weekend’s pay-per-view card. Clearly, it expects trouble.
Last year, the UFC gritted its teeth and ponied up the dough for the insurance -- a sum that was described as “astronomical” in local news reports -- though rumors percolated that it briefly considered moving UFC 115 to Cincinnati. This year perhaps it’d had enough, saying “thanks, but no thanks” to paying for more police.