UFC Won't Pay For Extra Police in Vancouver for UFC 131

[WrestlingSmarks News]

Back in late April, The Vancouver Courier reported that the Vancouver police chief was working on a plan that would ask the UFC to pay for extra neighborhood policing for June 11th, the night of UFC 131. The various branches of Lower Mainland police have a history of believing that Mixed Martial Arts events are potential gathering places for gang members and that even wearing MMA clothing is an issue in bars, which are but two of the many reasons that it took so long for the UFC to be able to stage an event in the city. But the UFC isn't going along with this plan. From MMAFighting:

Tom Wright, UFC Canada's director of operations, informed MMA Fighting via e-mail that the he responded to the VPD on Thursday.

"I spoke with the VPD [Thursday] and advised them that we would not be funding any 'expanded police presence' for community areas in the general vicinity of the Rogers Arena," Wright wrote.

"I explained that while we remain supportive of law enforcement in every city we bring shows to, we weren't prepared to be 'treated differently' than other events/concerts/shows (Canucks, Rolling Stones etc). This is a particularly important consideration when 'incidents' at UFC events are typically fewer than other big events. As I explained, if I were the Chief I'd be more worried about Canuck fans (celebrating or crying in their beers) than UFC fans."

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The Vancouver Police Department has justified this plan as a response to neighborhood complaints following UFC 115, and an incident that occurred after the event where two gay men were beaten in an adjoining neighborhood. One of the victims said he believed that his attackers had attended UFC 115, but the police have stated there is no evidence that they were there. They go on trial in November.

In the meantime, the Vancouver Canucks have advanced to the conference finals in the NHL, and game one of the series starts tonight. Despite many Canucks-related fan disturbances in the past after the outcomes of games, including a full-scale riot after the Stanley Cup finals in 1994, the Canucks and NHL have never once been asked to pay for any extra policing around any Vancouver arena they've ever played in.