Bill S-209 Introduced Into House of Commons in Canada
Toronto, Ontario – The Ultimate Fighting Championship® is pleased to announce that Bill S-209, an Act to remove the Criminal Code prohibition on mixed martial arts, has now been introduced into the House of Commons by Member of Parliament Massimo Pacetti. Ryan Leef, Member of Parliament and Chair of the MMA Caucus, was one of many other prominent MP’s to second the bill.
First introduced into the Senate by Senator Bob Runciman and then subsequently approved in June 2012, the private member’s bill must pass through three readings in the House of Commons before receiving Royal Assent.
“This is another big step forward for the sport of mixed martial arts in Canada,” said UFC® Director of Canadian Operations Tom Wright. “We’re thankful for the work Senator Runciman and MP Ryan Leef have done over the past year. With the support of Massimo Pacetti today, we’re yet another step closer to providing a consistent legislative framework for Canada and its provinces.”
The proposed bill is an amendment to Section 83(2) of the Criminal Code of Canada, regulating prize fighting. The suggested amendmentwould clarify the propriety of promoting mixed martial events throughout Canada. The current section 83 of the Criminal Code has not been updated since 1934.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship:
Universally recognized for its action-packed, can’t-miss events that have sold out some of the biggest arenas and stadiums across the globe, the UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, headquartered in Las Vegas,Nevada, and with offices in London, England, Toronto, Canada and Beijing, China, UFC® produces more than 30 live events annually and is the largest Pay-Per-View event provider in the world.
In 2011, the UFC burst into the mainstream with a landmark seven-year broadcast agreement with FOX Sports Media Group. The agreement includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network annually, with additional fight cards and thousands of hours of programming broadcast on FOX properties FX and FUEL TV. This includes the longest-running sports realityshow on television, The Ultimate Fighter®, which now airs on FX.
In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 150 countries and territories, to nearly one billion homes worldwide, in 20 different languages. UFC content is also distributed commercially in the United States to bars and restaurants through Joe Hand Promotions. The UFC also connects with tens of millions of fans through itswebsite, UFC.com, as well as social media sites Facebook and Twitter. UFC President Dana White is considered one of the most accessible and followed executives in sports, with nearly two million followers on Twitter.
Ancillary UFC businesses include best-selling DVDs, an internationally distributed UFC magazine, the best-selling UFC Undisputed® video game franchise distributed by THQ, UFC GYM®, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo® festivals, branded apparel, trading cards, and JAKKS Pacific articulated action figures.
