UFC President Dana White stated in a recent interview with The Gainesville Sun that he plans to bring more big shows to the Sunshine State — possibly as early as 2008.
Here's a snip from White:
"We're going to get all around Florida. I want to do a big pay-per-view down there real soon."
Miami, naturally, and the American Airlines Arena — with a maximum capacity of 20,000 — would be the likely destination for a major event in South Florida. In fact, the venue has already hosted a UFC event, UFC 42, in April 2003.
Of course, Hollywood, Fla., has hosted three successful UFC Fight Night events in the last year, the last of which was on June 12, 2007.
White indicates in the article that, in addition to Miami, the promotion is also considering other locations such as Tampa and Gainesville.
I'm curious to see if the UFC would actually venture so far north to Gainesville, a site that doesn't offer much besides the University of Florida — the place didn't even have a Starbucks up until a few years ago.
Regardless, Florida is a huge market for mixed martial arts. And each time the UFC visits, at least from what I have witnessed, there is a buzz in the air.
Coming back to Miami — after the growth the UFC has experienced during the last two years — would take it to an entirely different level.