UFC Eyeing Virginia in January

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is looking to come to Virginia for the first time in January.

The promotion has contacted athletic commission officials in the state about holding a card on Jan. 11 in Northern Virginia, said Mary Broz-Vaughan, spokeswoman for Virginia’s Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation, which includes the state’s boxing and wrestling program.

The event, which would likely be a UFC Fight Night installment, has not been finalized. Discussions are ongoing.

“We would be thrilled to host the UFC,” Broz-Vaughan said.

Broz-Vaughan said she did not know which venue was being discussed for the event, but said the northern part of the state is under consideration. Northern Virginia is considered part of the Washington D.C. metro area.

Recent UFC signee Mike “The Joker” Guymon has been offered a welterweight bout against Canadian Rory MacDonald on the Jan. 11 card in Fairfax, Va., according to MixedMartialArts.com. Both fighters would be making their promotional debuts.

January 11 is a Monday night, an unusual night for a live UFC event. The promotion has not staged a card on a Monday since Ultimate Fight Night 2 on October 3, 2005, which was headlined by David Loiseau vs. Evan Tanner.