Copyright 2007 All rights reserved, MIXED MARTIAL ARTS XTREME FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Tampa, FL: On November 11, 2007, the St. Petersburg Times Forum hosted its first-ever XFC mixed martial arts (MMA) fight card. Over 11 thousand fans flooded the stadium, more than tripling the state record for MMA event attendance. Since then, multiple new MMA gyms have opened in the Tampa area, and dozens of local fighters have turned professional. Several of these fighters will be making their professional debut on March 2, 2008 at XFC’s “Salute to Our Armed Forces 2” fight card at the St. Petersburg Times Forum.“Football might still be the undisputed king in Tampa, but MMA has really skyrocketed in popularity over just the past three months,” said XFC promoter and owner John Prisco. “Right now, I’d rank MMA just behind football, basketball, baseball and maybe hockey in local popularity. And among young, 20-something men, MMA is probably ahead of everything except college and pro football. If MMA’s Florida growth trajectory continues, we might even be challenging football by the end of 2009.”
MMA is now showcased on numerous cable channels in the Tampa area, and restaurants like the Wing House report sellout crowds whenever they show MMA Pay-Per-View telecasts at their establishments. MMA has certainly come a long way since its earlier years, when politicians like GOP presidential hopeful John McCain derided the phenomenon as “human cockfighting” and called for its immediate ban.
Haki Lee is a 30-year-old MMA enthusiast who’ll be competing on the March 2 XFC fight card. Like many Tampa men, he was mainly a football and basketball fan as a kid, but was immediately fascinated by the anything-goes, one-on-one appeal of MMA competition. “There’s an innate purity to MMA that just doesn’t exist in other sports,” Lee said. “Unlike boxing, which is rife with corruption and politics – and unlike team sports that reboot after every season – MMA is simply two men in a steel cage, and the best man will win. And if you keep winning, you become a world-famous champion. It’s the only sport in the world where your success or failure is 100% dependent on how hard you work, and how hard you fight.”
XFC’s “Salute to Our Armed Forces 2” event will take place on March 2 at the St. Petersburg Times Forum. All of the fighters are either military veterans, or hail from military families. The festivities will begin at noon, with the first fight taking place at 5:25 pm, and tickets are available at all Ticketmaster locations. For more information, please visit www.saluteourarmedforces.com or www.mmaxfc.com.
For interview requests with John Prisco or Haki Lee, please contact Scott Pinsker at 727.871.3204, or scott@glasuregroup.com.
About “Salute to Our Armed Forces 2”: Produced by XFC, the “Salute to Our Armed Forces 2” mixed martial arts extravaganza will take place at noon on March 2, 2008 at the St. Petersburg Times Forum in Tampa, Florida, with the first fight beginning at 5:25 pm. The featured fighters are either former or current members of the military, or come from military families. This exciting, family-friendly fight card will also feature live music, custom motorcycle shows, concessions, and so much more. Floor-level ticket prices begin at just $30. For more information, please visit www.xfcevents.com or www.mmaxfc.com
XFC PRESS RELEASES
Published:
February 23rd 2008
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Is Tampa Bay America’s New Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Fight Mecca?
By Scott Pinsker
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