During the War of 1812, the state of Tennessee earned the nickname the "Volunteer State", because of the prominent role played by volunteer soldiers from Tennessee. In July 2008, after several prominent Tennesseans, including Quinton "Rampage" Jackson of the UFC, Ed Clay of Gameness, and Steve Zito of the Memphis Grizzlies, volunteered their time and expertise to legalize the sport of Mixed Martial Arts in the state of Tennessee, the state unanimously voted to embrace the sport.

This was big news for the sport, having come after years of being classified as an "unsanctioned toughman competition" by the Tennessee Boxing and Racing commission. Even with prominent figures in the state such as Rampage, Clay, and Zito leading the way, the state lawmakers probably wouldn't have been as easily swayed if it weren't for the outpouring of fans and supporters of MMA in the state that volunteered to put pressure on the two senators, Bo Watson and Dewayne Bunch. Volunteers swamped their offices with phone calls and picketed in front of the capitol building with signs.

On May 13, 2008, the House passed the bill: 91-4. One week later, the Senate passed the bill: 30-0. By July 2008, MMA had officially gained full acceptance statewide. The state has since gutted the archaic TBRC into the fully functioning Tennessee State Athletic Commission. The revitalized TSAC has taken a more active role in governing combat sports in the "Volunteer State". This has also included a more influential approach regulating boxing events, than they have shown in years past.

In the months following the legalization of MMA, the TSAC was dutiful in laying the groundwork for establishing a strong foundation to oversee the sport. On Friday, February 20, 2009, Tennessee kicked off a new era of sport in the state's history with XFC 7 - School of Hard Knox, which took place in Knoxville, Tennessee. This was the first sanctioned professional MMA event ever to be held in the Volunteer State.

Now just a mere 5 and a half weeks removed from that historic night, we have Mixed Martial Art's kingpin, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, ready to set up shop tonight at the Sommet Center in the capital city of Nashville, Tennessee. UFC Fight Night 18 - Condit vs. Kampmann on April 1, 2009 is a 12-bout MMA event that will be broadcasted on the cable television network Spike. It will serve as a prelude to the premiere of The Ultimate Fighter 9 - United States vs. United Kingdom, which will be coached by Dan Henderson and Michael Bisping.

This major MMA event is the UFC's way of helping Tennessee usher in a new era of sports and entertainment to the state, all while pumping millions of dollars into the local Nashville economy. Thus allowing the "Music City" of Nashville to sing an entirely new note of excitement, while Carlos Condit, Martin Kampmann, and the 22 other fighters scheduled to fight will look to compose some sweet chin music of their own.


UFC Fight Night 18
April 1, 2009
Sommet Center
Nashville, Tennessee


Main Card:

-Carlos Condit vs. Martin Kampmann (Welterweight Bout)

-Ryan Bader vs. Carmelo Marrero (Light-Heavyweight Bout)

-Tyson Griffin vs. Rafael dos Anjos (Lightweight Bout)

-Cole Miller vs. Junie Browning (Lightweight Bout)


Preliminary Card:

-Ricardo Almeida vs. Matt Horwich (Middleweight Bout)

-Jeremy Stephens vs. Gleison Tibau (Lightweight Bout)

-Brock Larson vs. Jesse Sanders (Welterweight Bout)

-Tim Credeur vs. Nick Catone (Middleweight Bout)

-Jorge Rivera vs. Nissen Osterneck (Middleweight Bout)

-Steve Steinbeiss vs. Ryan Jensen (Middleweight Bout)

-Rob Kimmons vs. Joe Vedepo (Middleweight Bout)

-Aaron Simpson vs. Tim McKenzie (Middleweight Bout)