By DAVID WEINBERG, Staff Writer
The Press of Atlantic City
The Ultimate Fighting Champion-ship will return to Atlantic City this
summer. Plans are being finalized for the country's most popular mixed
martial arts organization to come back to the Boardwalk for the first
time in seven years on Friday, June 22. The card will be televised on FX
as part of the UFC's "FUEL TV" series.
The UFC and New Jersey Athletic Control Board both confirmed Wednesday
that the event will be in Atlantic City, marking its first show there
since UFC 53 was held at Boardwalk Hall on June 4, 2005."The UFC has
reserved that date to come to Atlantic City," said state Deputy Attorney
General Nicholas Lembo, who helps oversee MMA with the New Jersey
Athletic Control Board and its commissioner, Aaron Davis.
Officials from neither the UFC nor the NJACB would confirm widespread
speculation within the mixed martial arts community that the June 22
card will be held at the new $2.4 billion Revel casino that's scheduled
to open May 15.Revel, which is described on its website as a "6.2
million square-foot beachfront entertainment resort," will feature a
state-of-the-art, 5,500-seat entertainment arena.Revel spokesperson
Maureen Siman declined to comment Wednesday.The UFC also said the
fighters on the card will be announced at a later date.
Although it's a longshot at this point, Toms River native Frankie Edgar
frequently has mentioned his desire to defend his UFC lightweight
championship in Atlantic City."That's a dream of mine," Edgar told The
Press in an earlier interview. "I used to go to (the late boxer) Arturo
Gatti's fights at Boardwalk Hall all the time and the atmosphere was
incredible. I think it would be cool to experience that same level of
excitement."Edgar (14-1-1), a former standout wrestler at Toms River
East High School, fought three times in South Jersey - twice in Atlantic
City and once in Wildwood - early in his MMA career, but he has not done
so since 2006.In order to having any chance of fighting June 22,
however, the 30-year-old would have to win his bout Feb. 25 in Tokyo
against Benson Henderson (15-2) and come out of it unscathed.
Atlantic City used to be one of the UFC's regular stops. The
organization held six cards there from 2000 to 2005, starting with UFC
28 at Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort on Nov. 17, 2000. UFC 30 (Feb. 23,
2001) and UFC 31 (May 4, 2001) were also held at the Taj Mahal.
Boardwalk Hall was the site for UFC 41 (Feb. 28, 2003), UFC 50 (Oct. 22,
2004) and UFC 53.
New Jersey's Control Board, particularly then-commissioner Larry Hazzard
and Lembo, was instrumental in helping the sport grow in those years.
The state first developed a set of rules for MMA at Control Board
headquarters in Trenton in April 2000 during a series of meetings with
promoters and fighters. Five months later, on Sept. 30, 2000, the first
MMA card under those regulations was held at Tropicana Casino and
Resort.On April 3, 2001, another meeting was held in Trenton to
establish a set of unified rules, and the first fight under those
standards was UFC 31.
"We can't take all the credit," Lembo said Wednesday. "A lot of other
people played major roles in helping develop mixed martial arts,
including (then-Tropicana president and current Resorts Atlantic City
president) Dennis Gomes, (then-Tropicana executive) Dave Sirota, (local
promoter) D. Benjamin Brown and Donald Trump."
While UFC looked to expand to other states and countries, Atlantic City
has relied on other MMA organizations. Ring of Combat has long been a
staple at the Tropicana. Vineland-based Cage Fury Fighting Championships
is a regular tenant at Resorts. And Caesars Entertainment hosted a
series of cards by Bellator Fighting Championships last year.
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