UFC 174 flyweight title fight fails to sell out

Sport’s third visit to Vancouver draws smallest crowd despite homegrown- hero feature fight

A homeless shelter in an affluent Vancouver neighbourhood? Vancouver Coun. Kerry Jang expected phone calls over that one. Ultimate Fighting Championship’s debut in the city? He couldn’t imagine the storm it would cause.

“I never had more calls on anything in my life,” Jang said.

Not even that 2008 proposal to put shelters in upper- scale communities generated the same response as the fight promotion coming to town.

That first card — UFC 115 in June 2010 — drew nearly 18,000 fans paying a live gate of $ 4.2 million. UFC 131, one year later, drew almost 15,000 paying $ 2.8 million. Successful? Yes. Worth the headaches that came with those two stops? Not for UFC.

Four years after its Vancouver debut, and two years after the city’s mixed martial arts trial period ended, the company returns today with UFC 174.

In advance of today’s card, Jang and UFC director of Canadian operations Tom Wright looked back on the rocky road.

In 2010, under the Criminal Code of Canada, boxing was technically the only legal combat sport in the country ( several provinces or cities, notably Quebec, sanctioned the sport). When B. C. insisted on a municipal commission in Vancouver, the city wanted to make sure it was covered, said Jang.

Jang said the events in Vancouver demonstrated the Criminal Code was outdated and needed to be rewritten. In 2013, MMA was legalized nationwide. “It had to be done,” he said. Soon after, a B. C. commission was put in place to oversee the sport.