UFC 90 tentatively planned for Oct. 25 | MMAjunkie.com
UFC 90 tentatively planned for Oct. 25
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Jul 08, 2008 at 11:07 am ET
UFC 90 will likely take place Oct. 25, sources close to the event tell MMAjunkie.com (
UFC blog for UFC news, UFC rumors, fighter interviews and event previews/recaps | MMAjunkie.com).
UFC President Dana White first mentioned the possibility of the upcoming show during this past weekend's UFC 86 event, and a few fighters' managers and agents tell us that the organization has begun initial calls to recruit fighters for the Oct. 25 event.
In theory, UFC 90 will take place a week after "UFC 89: Bisping vs. Leben" -- on pay per view, most likely in Chicago.
Although the UFC intended for UFC 89 to air on Spike TV -- and use it a way to promote the following week's UFC 90 event on pay per view -- a deal has not yet been reached with the basic cable station. UFC 89 takes place at The National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England, and features a main event between Michael Bisping vs. Chris Leben.
As of now, Spike TV officials aren't commenting on the possibility of airing UFC 89, but with a so-so main event, the cable station is unlikely to fork over major dollars -- like they did with a UFC 75 event headlined by Quinton Jackson and Dan Henderson -- for the rights to air the Bisping vs. Leben event.
If the UFC and Spike TV are unable to reach a deal for UFC 89, the UFC would be unlikely to host pay per views on back-to-back weekends, so UFC 90 could be bumped to a later date.
However, if UFC 90 does go on as planned, it could be the first-ever UFC event to take place in Illinois, a state that passed legislation in September 2007 that called for the the Illinois Athletic Commission to regulate mixed-martial events. During a press conference this past weekend, White said the organization was close to doing an event in Chicago, long considered a lucrative and untapped market for the UFC, in late October.
The event would likely take place at Allstate Arena or the United Center. The 20,000-capacity Allstate Arena, which is located just outside Chicago in Rosemont, Ill., has been considered the front runner ever since the UFC officials expressed a desire to visit the Windy City in 2007.
