OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE :Let's Get It On MMA (LGIO) has announced the cancellation of all Eastern shows : UFC to BLAME?

Let’s Get It On MMA (LGIO) has announced the cancellation of all Eastern shows scheduled to take place at the Casino Lac Leamy throughout 2010.Issues involving the regulatory bylaws of the province of Quebec, which governs combative sports, are cited as the reason for the cancellation.


For several months, LGIO MMA has been in discussions with the RACJ Sports de Combat , which serves as the athletic commission in Quebec and is the regulatory body, which oversees all combative sports in the province.The RACJ has bylaws that mandate the type of combative platform that is allowed to be used during Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) events. The RACJ bylaws mandate that an “octagon” style of cage is the only approved cage-fighting platform.
Currently Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of the UFC, owns the trademark rights to any octagonal (or anything similar to an octagon) cage-fighting platform. Any promoter wishing to use an octagon must first seek approval and licensing through Zuffa, LLC,. LGIO has not been able to secure any approval from Zuffa, LLC,despite numerous attempts to contact them over the past several months. “At this time it would be hazardous for the reputation and legal standing of LGIO to use a trademarked cage without the expressed approval of the trademark owner”, stated Elaine McCarthy, Executive Producer and Promoter of LGIO. LGIO MMA uses a distinct circular cage because of their belief that it is the best and least obtrusive fighting environment available. After multiple discussions and presentations by LGIO, the RACJ was ultimately unable to make an amendment in their legislative regulations or bylaws in time to give approval to LGIO for their first scheduled show in the east in May.LGIO MMA is currently in the process of re-working the tournament format to take place at the River Cree Resort and Casino, at Enoch Alberta, just outside of Edmonton.

Elaine McCarthy had these final words to say - “This has had a terrible trickle-down effect on everyone involved with our promotion. I have repeatedly apologized to the representatives of Casino Lac Leamy and feel terrible that it had to come to this. The lost revenue for both the casino and the city of Ottawa Gatineau weighs heavily on me.

We have contacted all of the fighters under contract and advised them of the situation. They are free to fight elsewhere until we are able to re-group and offer them a new contract. My partners and I have all agreed that we will be offering more lucrative contracts to those fighters wishing to continue with our promotion.

It is still hard for me to comprehend how a government agency is forcing all MMA promoters within their province to use a specific cage as their fighting platform, obtain approval and pay a fee for the rights to another promoter to use that cage.”