According to military sources speaking exclusively to BloodyElbow.com, the Department of the Army has not yet approved the Ultimate Fighting Championship event titled, “Fight for the Troops” set to take place in Fort Bragg, NC on December 10th. It is not clear whether official command at Fort Bragg has approved the event either.
UFC President Dana White said on live national television during the broadcast of UFC Fight Night 15 that the event would take place at Fort Bragg and would send proceeds to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. The UFC has staged an event on a military base. On December 13th, 2006 the UFC held UFC Fight Night 7 at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California.
The extent to which the negotiations have taken place or if/whether there are any stumbling blocks is not yet known. However, it seems premature of the UFC to announce this event and the location without having finalized contractual plans to host the event on military grounds. The event page for “Fight for the Troops” on UFC.com does not list Fort Bragg or any other venue as hosting the event.
UPDATE: A Spike TV press release further states the event will be at Fort Bragg without the Department of the Army actually agreeing to the deal.
I’m not suggesting the event won’t go off. It probably will, but it’s very poor form to announce it when military officials are stating the deal is not done.
About the author
