The Ultimate Fighting Championship is pleased to announce that Bill S-209, an Act to remove the Criminal Code prohibition on mixed martial arts, has now been introduced into the House of Commons by Member of Parliament Massimo Pacetti. Ryan Leef, Member of Parliament and Chair of the MMA Caucus, was one of many other prominent MP’s to second the bill.

Bill S-209 introduced into The House of Commons

First introduced into the Senate by Senator Bob Runciman and then subsequently approved in June 2012, the private member’s bill must pass through three readings in the House of Commons  before receiving Royal Assent.

“This is another big step forward for the sport of mixed martial arts in Canada,” said UFC Director of Canadian Operations Tom Wright. “We’re thankful for the work Senator Runciman and MP Ryan Leef have done over the past year. With the support of  Massimo Pacetti today, we’re yet another step closer to providing a consistent legislative framework for Canada and its provinces.”

The proposed bill is an amendment to Section 83(2) of the Criminal Code of Canada, regulating prize fighting. The suggested amendmentwould clarify the propriety of promoting mixed martial events throughout Canada. The current section 83 of the Criminal Code has not been updated since 1934.