Fans under age 18 banned from attending UFC 99 in Germany on June 13

Fans under age 18 banned from attending UFC 99 in Germany on June 13

by Bruce Lee Student ~ Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is once again fighting a major public relations battle prior to its first-ever show in Germany at the Lanxess Arena in Cologne on June 13.

Reports have circulated in recent weeks and months that city council members, as well as a groundswell of vocal local protesters, have lobbied hard to cancel the show because of the perceived violence and brutality of the sport.

And while those efforts have failed, a front-page article in Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung — one of the country’s biggest newspapers — on Sunday has led to a ban on anyone under the age of 18 from attending UFC 99, according to Yahoo!Sports.com.

It’s familiar territory for the promotion, which will apparently not deter UFC President Dana White on his quest for global mixed martial arts domination.

Here’s a snip:

“It’s the same thing we’ve battled everywhere. It was even worse when we started in the U.K. Television, politicians, venues, they were all against us. They tear it down. It takes time. It’s a long fight. We’re not allowed in New York. As big as we are in Canada, we’re not allowed in Toronto.”

The good news (for now) is that the article reveals that the ban should not affect too many fans, which generally trend in the age group of 25 to 40 years of age. However, there is more than likely a handful of the 7,200 ticket holders who will be none too happy with this latest news.

UFC 99 will be headlined by former middleweight champion Rich “Ace” Franklin taking on ex-PRIDE smashing machine Wanderlei Silva in a special 195-pound brawl. Two solid welterweight match ups — Mike Swick vs. Ben Saunders and Marcus Davis vs. Dan Hardy — will also receive main card billing.

In addition, heavyweights Heath Herring and Cain Velasquez are also slated to hook ‘em up in an interesting collision of heavyweights. Former Pride FC headhunter Mirko “Cro Cop” is also expected to return to the organization to seek a “Comeback” of his own against Mustapha Al-Turk.