UFC 90 In the Windy City ( Chicago ) ??

UFC 90 tentatively planned for Oct. 25



Buzz Up PrintUFC 90 will likely take place Oct. 25, sources close to the event tell MMAjunkie.com

UFC President Dana White first mentioned the possibility of the upcoming show during this past weekend’s UFC 86 event, and a few fighters’ managers and agents tell us that the organization has begun initial calls to recruit fighters for the Oct. 25 event.

In theory, UFC 90 will take place a week after “UFC 89: Bisping vs. Leben“—on pay per view, most likely in Chicago.

Although the UFC intended for UFC 89 to air on Spike TV—and use it a way to promote the following week’s UFC 90 event on pay per view—a deal has not yet been reached with the basic cable station. UFC 89 takes place at The National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England, and features a main event between Michael Bisping vs. Chris Leben.

As of now, Spike TV officials aren’t commenting on the possibility of airing UFC 89, but with a so-so main event, the cable station is unlikely to fork over major dollars—like they did with a UFC 75 event headlined by Quinton Jackson and Dan Henderson—for the rights to air the Bisping vs. Leben event.

If the UFC and Spike TV are unable to reach a deal for UFC 89, the UFC would be unlikely to host pay per views on back-to-back weekends, so UFC 90 could be bumped to a later date.

However, if UFC 90 does go on as planned, it could be the first-ever UFC event to take place in Illinois, a state that passed legislation in September 2007 that called for the the Illinois Athletic Commission to regulate mixed-martial events. During a press conference this past weekend, White said the organization was close to doing an event in Chicago, long considered a lucrative and untapped market for the UFC, in late October.

The event would likely take place at Allstate Arena or the United Center. The 20,000-capacity Allstate Arena, which is located just outside Chicago in Rosemont, Ill., has been considered the front runner ever since the UFC officials expressed a desire to visit the Windy City in 2007.

For the latest on UFC 90, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors Here at http://www.ufcmmaextreme.blogspot.com/