Tomorrow night will be the biggest fight of mixed marital artist Chris Kelades life.
The 33-year-old from Cole Harbour will be competing at the Scotia Bank Centre in Halifax when he fights on the undercard of UFC Fight Night.
His last fight for the Halifax based Extreme Cage Combat led to the opportunity, but the ECC’s days could be numbered.
Peter Martell is the ECC’s promoter. He says it costs anywhere from $30,000 to $50,000 to hold a MMA card at the Halifax Forum. The ECC needs at least 1000 fans to show up to break even.
The ECC’s last promotion was postponed just days before the event because of poor attendance.
"It's just a matter of getting people out to see them,” says Martell. “I think once we get people out to see them, they love them."
Another problem facing the ECC, is the perception of unruly fans. Halifax Police say the crowds are no more difficult than when Moosehead games or concerts are held in the city.
There will be more than 10,000 fans at Saturday night’s UFC event. Martell was hoping to promote his brand at the event, considering very few fans at Friday’s UFC weigh-in had even heard of the ECC.
But Martell says the UFC has disallowed that, because the ECC is considered a rival brand.
Tom Wright, the UFC’s Director of Canadian Operations, says they’re open to discussions. But Martell says that talk comes too late. He knows the ECC has missed their opportunity.
Now the ECC could be tapping out itself.
With files from CTV’s Jayson Baxter
