OLATHE, Kan. – The City of Olathe rejects a plan for a mixed martial arts event at the
Mall of the Great Plains.
Bryan Stevenson, President of Elite Entertainment, says the event would bring more than 1,500 people to a mall that is losing tenants and customers.
Stevenson, who also owns
Dragon Family Martial Arts, says misconceptions about MMA led the city to halt the event.
“They just probably need to be educated on the fact that it is a legal and sanctioned event. And that the violence is less than it is in other sports,” he says.
MMA fighters compete inside a cage. But it's what happens outside the cage that concerns some.
"We've never had any security issues at any of our event. They've all been successful with no injuries or violence in the crowd,” he adds.
The State Gaming Commission requires city to approve a resolution supporting MMA events before they can be held.
“Ultimately that said at this time this is not an event that we could support in Olathe,” says Tim Danneberg a spokesman for the city of Olathe.
In the proposal to the city Elite Entertainment promised to provide private security for the event. However Olathe Police Chief Steve Menke was concerned about scheduling officers for traffic concerns. He added that they would have to respond to problems at the event.
Even though the event could bring business to they mall he says the concerns outweigh the benefits.
Stevenson says he’s not down for the count.
"It will happen at some point in Olathe or Johnson County. It will just be a matter of when,” he says.
Stevenson says they’ve held to MMA events in Wyandotte County and several others across the metro.
