"Why isn't MMA sanctioned in Maryland?"  My good friend Colin (himself an avid MMA fan) posed me this question the other day and the question inspired not only this blog entry but what will be increased coverage of this issue on my part in future articles. 

Let's take a look at the facts. MMA is sanctioned in over half the states in the country; DC is about to hold its first event May 12; and Pennsylvania is apparently on its way to holding sanctioned MMA events as well. In the next seven days alone, there are at least five top-level professional MMA events taking place throughout the world, including three in this country. So, why hasn't the Maryland State Athletic Commission already taken the necessary steps to make Baltimore and the rest of Maryland a player in this growing sport?

The city of Baltimore and the state of Maryland were slow in enacting the ban on smoking in bars, clubs, and restaurants. Now, it appears the city and state will be even further behind the curve on the issue of sanctioning mixed martial arts. I'm not sure why this is, but I can tell you why MMA should be sanctioned in Maryland and why a city like Baltimore is already equipped to handle MMA events:   

1) Baltimore is the ideal east coast location to hold huge MMA events like UFC. It is situated conveniently along I-95 and is about halfway between Florida and Maine. 
2) Baltimore already has the infrastructure to handle such events. The city is host to the Ravens and the Orioles and is a popular destination for a number of conventions throughout the year. With the construction of the new Hilton hotel next to Camden Yards as well as other hotels, accommodating 20,000 MMA fans for a weekend should not be a problem at all. The First Mariner Arena would be a very suitable location for such events. The Arena is already home to a number of touring concerts, the WWE, and other sporting events.
3) Bringing MMA to Baltimore will be a financial boon to the city because of all the money spent by visitors to the city and the jobs created for the events.
4) Baltimore is in the midst of its own renaissance and can use events such as UFC to showcase what is quickly becoming a thriving metropolis that is attracting new residents and new businesses on a regular basis.
5) Baltimore and the surrounding Maryland counties are home to a number of highly-regarded MMA Academies such as Ground Control (home of John Rallo and Binky Jones) in the city, Maguilla Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Combat Club in Silver Spring, and Lloyd Irvin's Martial Arts Academy in Camp Springs. The sport is also televised at a number of bars in and around Baltimore. The fan base exists to make sanctioning of the sport a financially worthwhile endeavor.
6) For those worried about the violence and brutality of the sport, one of the main purposes of sanctioning is to assure the health and safety of the fighters. 

In some of my future articles, I will attempt to shine some light on the effort that is currently in place to achieve MMA sanctioning in Maryland. I will also try to find out why it's taking so long for the movement to gain traction in this state.