Friday, February 9, 2007

UFC considers show in Northwest



Northwest mixed martial arts fans may dream of the Ultimate Fighting Championships coming to the region, but part-time Astoria resident Marc Rattner might have the power to make it happen. Rattner is Vice President of Regulatory Affairs for the UFC.

"My goal is to bring the UFC to Portland someday," he said. "Of course, we'd have to work around the Blazers' schedule."

Rattner is the former Executive Director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, who became nationally known while overseeing several hearings regarding the conduct of boxer Mike Tyson. With the UFC expanding to other states as well as England, a Portland or Seattle date still may be years away.

"I would love to bring it to the Northwest," he said. "We're not worried about selling tickets. We're selling everywhere right now. For the first UFC event in Houston (held Feb. 3), we sold 7,000 tickets in three hours. We've sold 15,000 in Columbus, Ohio and we're still five weeks away."

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