UFC pays Philly a visit

PHILADELPHIA – Step aside, Rocky. The Philly fight game is about to get reinvented.

A city that prides itself on its deep boxing roots and for producing champions such as Joe Frazier and Bernard Hopkins is set to hold Pennsylvania’s first major mixed martial arts card tonight.

UFC 101 is coming to town – and it’s bringing the octagon, the holder of an undisputed spot as one of sports great attractions.

“One of the big things I was very excited about was to be the guy bringing big fights back to Philly,” Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White said.

The card has BJ Penn (13-5-1) defending his UFC lightweight crown against No. 1 contender Kenny Florian (13-3), and UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva (24-4) fights Forrest Griffin (16-5) in the two main events.

Perhaps it’s fitting that a fighter named Penn headlines the inaugural Philly card.

Big, brash, brutal heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar sits this one out after pummeling his way toward helping UFC set the sport’s pay-per-view record with more than 1.5 million buys last month at the milestone UFC 100 event in Las Vegas.

It’s success hasn’t surprised the fighters who risk their health every time they step inside the cage.

“Fighting is a global thing, it’s a very natural thing, and UFC has figured out how to organize it, make it as safe as you can and do it right,” Griffin said.

White has actively worked at expanding UFC cards outside of Las Vegas, and got a huge break in February when the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission legalized MMA. White pounced faster than one of his fighters to bring the eight-sided cage to Philadelphia.

It’s a perfect fit for a city that loves its bullies.

“We’ve been dying to be here,” White said.