MMA expert calls Saskatchewan UFC event a big deal
Event may push local fighters to elevate their game, says expert
One expert in MMA fighting thinks Saskatoon has scored a knockout by bringing the UFC to the city for Saskatchewan's first big main event.
Ariel Helwani is a writer, video journalist and host for mmafighting.com, a website dedicated to the sport. Helwani told CBC Radio's Saskatoon Morning that landing this event is a big deal.
"Canada has been very thirsty for more UFC," he said. "For them to identify Saskatchewan as a place to go and hold one of these events, it's a nice feather in the province's cap."
The main fight, a featherweight match-up between top ranked fighters Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira, is a good one, Helwani said.
"These guys are incredibly powerful for smaller guys, but very gifted as well and they are on quite the hot streak, they've won their last few fights in a row."
Big event could inspire local brawlers
One of the expected benefits of bringing the UFC to the city, Helwani said, is the encouragement it will give to local fighters. Seeing the best in the octagon helps locals understand what it might take to make it big in MMA.
"Fighters tend to elevate their game."
The UFC rolls into Saskatoon for its first Saskatchewan event later this summer.