Massachusetts officials ahead of the scheduled UFC on Fox Sports 1 on Aug. 17 in Boston are "refusing the UFC’s request to relax rules barring foreign-born fighters from hitting the octagon without Social Security numbers," according to Dave Wedge of the BOSTON HERALD. The "wildly popular" UFC held its first major event in Boston in '10, "just months after the state legalized MMA-style fighting following years of controversy." Under federal Social Security Administration rules, a fighter "can get a temporary number after a 10-day grace period." State Department of Public Safety Communications Dir Terrel Harris said that UFC has "petitioned the state for a one-time exception to allow foreign fighters to square off ... with or without a valid Social Security number." But state law is "clear that officials are prohibited from issuing an MMA license to any fighter without proper documentation." The fight card "features a main event" between Brazilian national Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and U.S. fighter Chael Sonnen (BOSTON HERALD, 6/18).
MISFIRE IN MANITOBA: In Winnipeg, Paul Friesen writes "independent reviews" of UFC 161, the promotion's first appearance in the city, "mostly panned" the event. MMA writer Mike Sloan said that the main event fight between Rashad Evans and Dan Henderson was "'three rather pedestrian rounds,' on a night that wasn't up to par." Local fight fans "were assured this was no second-rate slugfest." But MMAFighting.com's Luke Thomas wrote, "There were terrible decisions, boring fights and a lot that felt underwhelming." BloodyElbow.com's Zane Simon wrote, "All told it was a mixed event, not great, not terrible" (WINNIPEG SUN, 6/18).
