For a while, it looked like the UFC might not be headed to the Bell Centre in Montreal for UFC 97. The Canada-based Sportsnet reported that rule changes instituted by the Quebec Athletic Commission were at strict odds with the Unified Rules employed by the promotion, and with no compromise forthcoming, things appeared grim.
But in a rebuttal that's become a recent theme, UFC president Dana White said the media got it wrong, again.
UFC officials, including Lorenzo Ferttita, White, and Marc Ratner, flew to Montreal in mid-February to speak with the QAC, and according to White, there was no reason for alarm.
"The entire thing was blown out of proportion," White said at the pre-fight press conference for UFC 97 at the Bell Centre. "The fight was never in jeopardy, never in danger. There was a new commission, and we needed to come up here and talk to them and sit down--we hadn't done that yet. Soon as we did it it was fine.
"We love Canada, we love Montreal. Other than UFC 100, this is the fastest sell-out. The difference is there's 12,000 seats in Mandalay Bay, and there's 22,000 seats here. Believe me, we love Montreal. We're not going anywhere."
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