“I’m excited. We should have been in Chicago a long time ago. We’re going to rock that town — blow it out. Once the legislation is in place, we’ll move very quickly and be there soon. I hope to be there by the end of this year.”

- – UFC President Dana White

“There are very few formidable opponents to this (allowing MMA in Illinois). [The UFC] is coming to Illinois. It’s in 22 states. They want to go to the big venues. It’s [on] ESPN, pay-per-view. It’s become international. ‘So if it’s coming to Illinois, we think it should be regulated. This isn’t that [Toughman competition] nonsense. It’s a very legitimate sport.”

- – Sen. James DeLeo (D – Chicago)

“We’ve been in conversations with the United Center and Allstate Arena. This is a very positive step. We know Illinois — and Chicago especially — will be a great market for us. But until we have that bill signed and the athletic commission has the rules in place, we can’t go there.”

- – UFC executive Marc Ratner

“I would love to fight in my hometown. It would be a sellout no matter which venue. There are a lot of Midwest UFC fans.”

- – UFC fighter Terry Martin

From The Chicago Sun-Times