Washington D.C.'s first sanctioned professional mixed martial arts event will take place Saturday, May 12, at the DC Armory.  The event is historic for MMA fans in both the nation's capital as well as those traveling from Maryland, where the sport is still not sanctioned.

Saturday's fight card -- dubbed "The Revolution" -- is being promoted by Mixed Martial Arts Championship (MMAC), which is "comprised of experienced martial art professionals" and advertises itself as Washington's first licensed organization, according to its Web site. 

The two main event fights on the card are Homer Moore vs. Fabiano Capoani and Amir Rahnavardi vs. Nino Schembri.  Moore has fought in the UFC, IFL, and WEC and sports a 24-8-2 MMA record.  Capoani, on the other hand, has far less experience with only a 3-2-1 record and no fights in any of the major organizations.  Schembri has fought in a number of PRIDE fights and carries a 3-4 record into the ring this weekend.  His opponent -- Rahnavardi -- has fought in PRIDE (two losses) as well as WEC and IFL and has a 9-7 record.

MMAC Director Omar Olumee answered a few questions by e-mail about the event. What follows is the transcript of that interview.

How are preparations going leading up to the event? 

Preparations are always difficult when you have to manage a number of people.  But my staff and business partners are wonderful people to work with and have been doing an amazing job!

Who will administer the drug testing of the fighters? 

[The] fighters have gone through D.C. Boxing and Wrestling Commission requirements as [far as] getting their medicals done.  I'm not sure if they will be tested afterward.

How many tickets have you sold so far? 

We expect a very good showing for our first ever event.

Was MMAC involved in having MMA sanctioned in Washington?  If so, in what ways were you involved? 

We were the ones who approached the commissioner about the sanction and after many meetings and discussions and reviewing of the rules we were able to get MMA sanctioned in D.C.

Are you fighting for sanctioning in neighboring jurisdictions, for example Maryland?

We are very happy that MMA enthusiasts in Maryland are interested in having fights and we support any state or jurisdiction who have fans that support MMA.

Do you have any plans to take your promotion to other jurisdictions where MMA is currently sanctioned, for example Pennsylvania or New Jersey?

Well, D.C. is the hub for us and we are of course interested in making sure D.C.'s fan base gets the best of MMAC.

How significant is "The Revolution" for the sport of MMA in D.C.? 

It is very significant [with] D.C. being the nation's capital and full of sports fans that we are able to grow the sport here.  If you ever go to the mall on Saturday you will see loads of young professionals playing football, soccer, softball and many more sports.  This shows DC is not a sleeping town and can handle the excitement of MMA.

The casual fan may not know many of the fighters on this card.  Are there one or two fighters on this card we should follow, who could end up being future stars in the sport? 

All of the fighters are strong and unique in there own way with great skills and heart. I believe the fans will find new fighters to love on May 12.

Do you know when and where your second event will be? 

MMAC looks forward to its next bout at a location to be determined in September.

What are the long-term goals of MMAC?   

Right now our goal is to wow D.C. with the excitement of MMA.

For more information about the event, visit www.mmacdc.com.