By James Brydon
SPORTSNET.CA
One of Canada's greatest mixed martial arts pioneers is moving on to new things.
Stephane Patry, founder of Canada's first professional MMA promotion, resigned from his post as president of TKO Championship Fighting on Thursday.
Patry, who helped bring 44 events to fight fans since the Montreal-based organization's inception in 2000, was instrumental in building the most successful MMA circuit in Quebec. And after TKO's most recent shows drew upwards of 7,000 in attendance to the Bell Centre, the Montreal native felt it was time to seek out new challanges.
"I've been involved in promoting a sport and producing shows for close to nine years," Patry told Sportsnet.ca. "It was a good time for me to step down. I think I accomplished a lot of things in and for the sport. I decided I want to focus on other things."
His resignation will take effect on Nov. 15, even though no replacement has been announced as yet. Patry met with Bell Centre officials on Thursday and the organization's upcoming card, which was booked at the venue for Dec. 5, has been cancelled.
Patry helped transform the image of mixed martial arts from a brutal sideshow many referred to as "human cockfighting" into one of North America's fastest growing sports. The outspoken CEO, who has always had plenty to say about his business and the sport as a whole, was even featured in the cover story of the Financial Post's business magazine in May 2007.
Following TKO's past event on Oct. 3, Patry took a couple of weeks off to think and ultimately choose to step down, a decision with which he is very comfortable.
"It's one of those things, thinking about everything, (I) decided that was the best move for me right now," said the promoter and manager of seven pro fighters. "I will stay involved with the sport as a manager and also continue my work in television (as a mixed martial arts analyst)."
A number of top fighters got their roots with TKO, which was originally called Universal Combat Challenge. Many of them were managed by Patry himself, including former TKO welterweight champion and current UFC 170-pound title-holder Georges St. Pierre, who began his MMA debut with a knockout of Ivan Menjivar at UCC 7 in January 2002.
Other fighters who made their professional debuts with TKO were former featherweight champion Mark Hominick of Thamesford, Ont., and Rimouski, Que.'s Patrick Cote, who on Saturday lost by TKO due to injury to middleweight belt-holder Anderson Silva at UFC 90 in Chicago.
NOTES: Cote, who remains a client of Patry, injured his knee in the fight and will undergo surgery next week. He is expected to be sidelined six-to-eight months, a timeline Patry reaffirmed on Thursday, though he did leave open the possibility of an ealier return.
"That would be a gift," Patry said. "But we don't expect him back before six months."
