Maine ready to host first MMA show
Mixed martial arts fighting is coming to Maine, nearly two years after the Legislature legalized it. The Maine Mixed Martial…
Mixed martial arts fighting is coming to Maine, nearly two years after the Legislature legalized it.
The Maine Mixed Martial Arts Authority, which spent the past year developing rules to govern the sport, announced Wednesday that it has sanctioned two events, both in Portland.
The first will be held April 30 at the Stevens Avenue Armory. The second is scheduled for May 6 at the Portland Expo, said Bill Bouffard, chairman of the state authority.
“It took us a while to get rolling,” Bouffard said, “but our number one priority was the safety of the fighters. As brutal as the sport may seem, it’s safer than boxing.”
In spring 2009, the Legislature legalized mixed martial arts fighting in Maine and created the authority, a five-member volunteer board, to regulate the fights.
Matthew Peterson, a Democratic state representative from Rumford, sponsored the bill, viewing it as a way to spur economic development and boost tourism.
“I’ve been a lifelong fan of mixed martial arts fighting,” Peterson said. “It’s the fastest-growing sport in the world and represents a real economic development opportunity for the state.”
If the sport catches on in Maine, Bouffard said he would expect to see about two mixed martial arts events a month.
Bouffard said the state authority determined during the rulemaking process that cage fighting, as opposed to fighting in a boxing ring with ropes, would be safer for the fighters and the audience.