Harrisburg, PA – With a much-anticipated event 15 years in the making, the State Athletic Commission (SAC) continues its successful oversight of combat sports in the Commonwealth.
UFC® 330, scheduled for this Saturday, Aug. 15, at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, is among the biggest combat sports events hosted in Pennsylvania. The last time UFC® brought an event of this significance to Philadelphia was Aug. 6, 2011, when UFC® 133 was hosted by what was then known as Wells Fargo Center.
“Whether it’s been professional boxing, bareknuckle fighting, professional wrestling, or any of the other combat sports overseen by SAC, the hits just keep coming in Pennsylvania,” Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt said. “We knew when Governor Shapiro and UFC President Dana White announced back in April that UFC® 330 was coming to Philly, it would be a big deal – and our State Athletic Commission staff has worked hard on overseeing and regulating events like these.”
Currently, there are two title bouts on the fight card: Russia’s Islam Makhachev vs. challenger Ian Machado Garry of Ireland in the men’s welterweight division, and Brazil’s Mackenzie Dern vs. challenger Gillian Robertson of Canada in the women’s strawweight division.
Other highlighted fights feature Brazil’s Edson Barboza vs. Argentina’s Esteban Ribovics in men’s lightweight, and Americans Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Dustin Stoltzfus in a men’s middleweight bout.
The State Athletic Commission operates under the Department of State umbrella and is responsible for oversight of combat sports like bare-knuckle boxing, MMA, professional boxing, and kickboxing/Muay-Tai.
“It’s an exciting time to be a combat sports fan in Pennsylvania,” SAC Executive Director Ed Kunkle said. “We’ve welcomed the return of boxing in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area with two fight nights already and a third coming in October; a Professional Fighters League event in Pittsburgh; a Real American Freestyle event in Philly; another successful season for the Team Boxing League; and various WWE and AEW professional wrestling events. And we’re only going to keep going and keep growing.”
Visit the State Athletic Commission website for more information.