Ontario Leads World In MMA Devotion, UFC Says

[Priest]

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/mma/post/2010/01/ontario-leads-world-in-mma-devotion-ufc-says/1

More than any other part of the world, Ontario has the most interest in pay-per-view shows for mixed martial arts, the Ultimate Fighting Championship says.

"When we look at our TV ratings and our pay-per-view buys, on a per-capita basis, Toronto and Ontario are the No. 1 places in the world," UFC executive Marc Ratner tells the Toronto Sun. "It's unbelievably popular in the province of Ontario and especially Toronto."

Although Quebec has hosted UFC events and Vancouver plans to do so later this year, Ontario officials say MMA remains illegal in their province for now. But UFC can draw a crowd of 35,000 to 40,000 in Toronto, says Ratner, the promotion's vice president of regulatory affairs.