How a Labor Union Almost KO’d the UFC in Boston

This past Saturday, UFC Fight Night 26, the second Ultimate Fighting Championship event ever held in Boston, went off without a hitch at the TD Banknorth Garden. The event featured hometown fighters John Howard and Joe Lauzon in two separate main card fights, Chael Sonnen, one of the biggest smacktalkers in the world of mixed martial arts, and the big time arrival of Irish phenom Conor McGregor in an undercard bout. Though it was a great night of fights, it almost didn’t happen because of the enforcement of an obscure section of Massachusetts law and a prolonged labor dispute in Las Vegas. Yes, a labor dispute in Las Vegas nearly derailed a sporting event in Boston.

What Does a Las Vegas Casino Have to Do With the Battle Over a UFC Match in Boston?

For years, a union in Las Vegas has been embroiled in a battle with the co-owners of the Ultimate Fighting Championship league because of their stake in casinos in Nevada.

It’s that fight, outside of the ring, that UFC President Dana White said has prompted the union to follow the sporting league from city to city, trying to get scheduled bouts canceled, and smearing his name in the process. “They are like gnats. They are like buzzing little gnats that won’t go away,” said White, who was in Boston on Tuesday to promote an upcoming UFC fight at the TD Garden. “People [in this union] are doing dirty things, and it continues to go on even now.”

Local 26 Endorses Marty Walsh for Mayor!

Marty Walsh Group Shot“Marty Walsh has been the voice of our neighborhoods since he was first elected to office,” said Brian Lang, President of Local 26. “The members of Local 26 are proud to endorse him as the next mayor of Boston because we know that he will represent everyone in Boston.”
 
 

After 66 Years, Newbury Street Doorman Retires

Norman Pashoian, 85, worked his final day as a doorman at the Taj Hotel, formerly the Ritz Carlton, on Wednesday.   Pashoian reported to work Aug. 4, 1947, for the first day of his first job.   He has met many famous guests. “Here I was, just in my early 20s, and I was seeing someone as famous as [Winston] Churchill.  I was amazed.”  Pashoian said he went through more than a dozen hats during his career, or one every few years.  “He’s like a cucumber,” said Ibrahim Assaf, 55, a doorman who has worked beside Pashoian for 27 years. “Calm and cool.”  Congratulations Norman!!

Parents say no to UFC

Cage fighting (also known as “ultimate fighting” or “mixed-martial arts”) is an extremely violent form of entertainment, in which athletes punch, kick, elbow and choke each other from inside cages and before live audiences.

Cage fighters at the amateur and professional levels have competed in public stadiums and on television bearing Neo-Nazi messages in their tattoos or on their clothing.