Residents of Michigan State, who’ve had more than their fair share of sh—ty news to deal with over the last few years (during this tiresome run of ‘economic uncertainty’), have reason to smile today, as the Detroit Free Press is reporting that UFC 123 is headed to Auburn Hills. According to the report, the card is “almost certain” to take place November 20th in the Detroit suburb, and will be hosted by the 20,000 seat plus Palace. The report included a comment from Dr. James Weber, chair of the Michigan Unarmed Combat Commission (versus armed combat commission….) who stated:
“Detroit deserves this. It is a boxing and MMA town. It would be a great boost to the economy and represents the character, fight and will of the people in this area. It is a dream of mine come true.”
Amen to that. What’s even better for Michigan MMA fans is that the expected headliner for UFC 123 is a light-heavyweight tilt between former champs Lyoto Machida and “Rampage” Jackson. We immediately jumped on board with that bout as soon as it was rumored to be next in line—not only could it be an outstanding fight from a talent / technical perspective, but both Rampage and Lyoto need a win big time.
MMA Junkie has also confirmed the location and date for UFC 123 in a follow up report.
