MMA fight likely to be held at Sears Centre

Now that the Sears Centre won't be temporally closing, event organizers are breathing a sigh of relief. Village officials had feared the arena would close on Oct. 1, but instead the owner's parent, the Ryan Companies, has agreed to continue operations until January.

While the village and Ryan figure out how management of the building will be transferred to Hoffman Estates, the shows will continue.

An example of business as usual is the expected announcement any day now of a Nov. 7 mixed-marital arts fight at the arena. Strikeforce, a San Jose-based promoter, is expected to bring the top-ranked MMA heavyweight in the world, Fedor Emelianenko, to Hoffman Estates.

While that may not mean much to some, a live broadcast of the event in prime time by CBS is planned. That's not too shabby for an arena some thought would go dark from October until January.

Is MMA a fad? Perhaps, but many view it the same way as traditional sports fans see boxing, which definitely has had staying power through the years.

On the eve of the village's 50th birthday, it's a positive that the Sears Centre is attracting an event with a rabid fan following.