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WJZ Reports on Shogun Fights
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ― -
- Instead of watching on TV, some Baltimore residents can finally get to see mixed martial arts in person.
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Instead of watching on TV, some Baltimore residents can finally get to see mixed martial arts in person.
CBS |
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For the first time ever in Maryland, a wildly popular form of fight competition will be staged here in Baltimore.
Mike Schuh reports state laws had to be changed to allow mixed martial arts.
It's not boxing, not wrestling, not karate, it's all three.
Mixed martial arts had been banned here because it slipped between the cracks of Maryland law.
John Rallo, a former MMA fighter, got state law changed to allow these contests to happen
"I think this is just a starting point," said John Rallo of Shotgun Productions.
These local fighters aren't signed to the big national promoters, but Saturday's show at the 1st Mariner Arena is selling well
"It's the largest growing sport in the nation right now and Baltimore has some of the best ratings for Spike for mixed martial arts," said Frank Remesch, spokesperson for 1st Mariner Arena.
For the first event ever in Maryland, the ticket sales are going pretty well. The cheapest, at $25, and the most expensive, at $250, are already sold out.
"You still have $35 to $125 range, but $125 is almost sold out also, so that's great. This just proves once more that Baltimore is on the map," said Remesch.
UFC has been compared to the NFL in this kind of fighting. All of the Baltimore fighters aspire to someday get signed by the UFC.
"If the UFC was here, they'd sell 15,000 tickets. For us for a regional, we have 4,000 to 5,000 sold, that's a big deal," Rallo said.
"This is almost hopefully a farm system for the UFC one, almost like a minor league," said Remesch.
So what that means is the fighters have extra motivation to win.
The fights on Saturday will also be televised on a regional sports cable program two weeks after the fight date this Saturday.Back to News