The city of Sioux Falls may look to remove an ordinance that currently prohibits any Mixed Martial Arts event from being held at a city-owned building.
During the 2014 legislative session, approximately a year and a half ago, a bill was passed that created a South Dakota Athletic Commission. This paved the way for sanctioned boxing, kickboxing, and mixed martial arts events to take place in South Dakota.
According to Joe Sneve with the Argus Leader in Sioux Falls, City Councilwoman Christine Erickson is one of the leaders hoping to lift the ban. In his article, Sneve mentioned that Councilwoman Erickson “gave her colleagues their first peek at a proposal to lift” the current ordinance.
Even though Sioux Falls has a ban on city-owned properties for MMA events, it hasn’t stopped the sport from making its way to the Sioux Empire. The Resurrection Fighting Alliance was in town last month (third time in about a year) for an event at the Sanford Pentagon – a 3,000-seat venue that is NOT city-owned.
The Denny Sanford PREMIER Center (and yes, even the much older Sioux Falls Arena) is a city-owned building, which means an MMA event, by law, cannot be held at that venue. By lifting the current ordinance, Sioux Falls may become a legit option for a future Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event.
