http://www.oxfordpress.com/n/content/oh/story/sports/pro/2009/03/02/ddn030209spinside.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=34By Dan Stupp
After a yearlong wait, the Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Columbus for its third straight event that coincides with the Arnold Sports Festival.
"UFC 96: Jackson vs. Jardine" takes place Saturday, March 7, at Nationwide Arena and airs on pay per view.
The UFC made its Ohio debut in 2007, and with the three-day Arnold sports and fitness exhibition taking place concurrently, UFC 68 drew a (since-broken) North American MMA attendance record (19,049) with a staggering $3 million live gate, which set a still-standing record for Nationwide Arena.
This year's UFC show features a main event between former UFC light-heavyweight champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Keith Jardine. In the co-main event, Cincinnati native and popular UFC light heavyweight Matt Hamill, a three-time NCAA Division III national wrestling champion and Deaflympics gold medalist, takes on undefeated UFC newcomer Mark Munoz.
Xenia native Matt Brown (vs. Pete Sell), Beavercreek's Mike Patt (vs. Brandon Vera) and Cuyahoga Falls' UFC rookie Ryan Madigan (vs. Tamdan McCrory) also will be in action.
However, as with other events, UFC 96 is more than just fight night. An entire weekend of events is planned around Saturday's show. It includes:
• Arnold Sports Festival (Friday-Sunday): The three-day event takes place at the Greater Columbus Convention Center and Nationwide Arena with competitions and exhibitions in everything from boxing to powerlifting to bodybuilding to gymnastics. Go to
www.arnoldsportsfes tival.com for more info.
• UFC Fight Club Q&A with UFC champ Frank Mir (Friday): 2 to 3 p.m. at Nationwide Arena. Entry requires paid membership to the UFC's fan club.
• UFC 96 weigh-ins (Friday): 3 to 5 p.m. at Nationwide Arena. Free and open to the public.
• American Fighter pre-party, hosted by Rich Franklin (Friday): Cincinnati native Franklin plays host to a pre-party at Club Mynt (445 N. High St. in Columbus) to benefit his Keep it in the Ring nonprofit organization. Numerous MMA celebrities are expected to attend. Starts at 7 p.m. with a $10 cover charge (21 and older).
• Rich Franklin autograph signing (Saturday): 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Arnold Sports Festival's American Fighter/Starchem supplement booth.
• UFC 96 (Saturday): Doors open at 7:30 p.m., first bout starts at 8:05 p.m., and main card (PPV) begins at 10 p.m.
• Matt Hamill autograph signing (Sunday): 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Arnold Sports Festival's American Fighter/Starchem supplement booth.
Dann Stupp is editor-in-chief of MMAjunkie.com, a content partner site of Yahoo! Sports. For the latest on UFC 96, go to
www.MMAjunkie.com.
