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REGINA -- Mixed martial arts events will soon be legal in Saskatchewan, and the Ultimate Fighting Championship says thats good for athletes. The government is setting up an athletics commission that will have the authority to sanction professional combative sports, including MMA. "A provincial athletics commission will help ensure the safety of everyone involved in professional combative sport competitions," Saskatchewan Sport Minister Kevin Doherty said Wednesday. The move comes after the House of Commons passed a bill in June legalizing contact sports such as MMA. The legislation makes professional boxing and MMA contests legal in Canada when they have the authorization of a provincial athletics commission. Only boxing was allowed under the old prize-fighting law, leaving combat sports, including taekwondo, karate and MMA in legal limbo. Tom Wright, director of UFC operations in Canada, Australia and New Zealand, says it means athletes wont have to move for their sport. Wright points out that MMA fighter Mitch Clarke is from Saskatchewan, but trains in Edmonton because he couldnt compete professionally in his home province. Wright also says having legal fights makes it safer for athletes. "Thats the cornerstone of protecting the health and safety of our athletes is to make sure that the sport is properly regulated. Now that an athletic commission is going to be set up in Saskatchewan, that will be the case for all organizations that want to hold a mixed martial arts competition," Wright said in a phone interview from Vancouver. "Particularly for ourselves, it paves the way for us to be able to bring the UFC to Saskatchewan." Wright says there is no timeline yet on when that might happen. Steps are underway to have the commission in Saskatchewan running by next summer. The commission will be responsible for tracking competitors fighting history and ensure safety protocols are enforced. The Saskatchewan Martial Arts Association will sanction and oversee amateur combative sports including mixed martial arts, kickboxing, modified Muay Thai and full-contact karate. The association said in a news release that it will immediately start sanctioning amateur combative sporting events. "By regulating amateur competitions, we help eliminate unsanctioned fights that put athletes at risk," said association president Tim Oehler. MMA is currently sanctioned at a provincial level in British Columbia, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Quebec, while it has been sanctioned on a municipal level within Alberta, New Brunswick and the Northwest Territories. The UFC has held 14 shows to date in Canada, with cards in Calgary, Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver. Wright has said the UFC will hold a show in Halifax within the next couple of years.Bob Feller Indians Jersey . -- An ugly goal by Nick Bonino helped the Anaheim Ducks overcome the defensive-minded Phoenix Coyotes on a night when their ragged power play continued to struggle. Cheap Indians Jerseys . The third-ranked Ivanovic, who won the event in 2008 and 10, served five aces and broke Wickmayer, also a former winner in 2009, five times. "The result looked easier than it really was," Ivanovic said. https://www.cheapindiansonline.com/3718u-duane-kuiper-jersey-indians.html . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity football teams. Terry Francona Jersey . Ivanovic was leading 7-5, 1-0 when Hantuchova withdrew after falling 0-40 behind in the second game. The match started slowly for Ivanovic, who surrendered her first two serves as Hantuchova took a 5-3 lead. Logan Allen Indians Jersey .500 on the season. The Jets are now 0-5-1 in the second game of back-to-backs. The game started the same way the Vancouver game started the night before, with the Jets taking the first two penalties of the game and killing off the first, but the Oilers getting on the board first, scoring on the second man-advantage.TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Alabama and Auburn dispatched their usual pre-Iron Bowl FCS opponents as expected.Now, the top-ranked Crimson Tide and No. 16 Auburn can focus on what really matters in this state: The Iron Bowl. `Bama has moved on from a lackluster performance against Chattanooga (still a 31-3 victory), and the Tigers 55-0 win over Alabama A&M was hardly indicative of what theyll face Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium.Ditto for Alabama, which shouldnt have any issues getting up for this one.Its pretty easy because its a rivalry game, the biggest one of the year, you could say, Tide defensive lineman Dalvin Tomlinson said. I still feel like some of my teammates who were here when we lost to Auburn a couple of years ago still feel the pain of losing to them. Its pretty easy to focus up just because we dont want to have that feeling again.Alabama (11-0, 7-0 Southeastern Conference, No. 1 CFP) has won the past two meetings and 23 games in a row. Auburn (8-3, 5-2) No. 15) is battling injuries to quarterback Sean White (throwing shoulder) and tailback Kamryn Pettway (left leg) that kept both out of the Alabama A&M game. Pettway also didnt play in a loss to Georgia that kept this from being a showdown for the SEC West title.Alabama has already clinched that and will face Florida in the SEC championship game.Senior Jeremy Johnson replaced White against Alabama A&M, passing for a touchdown and rushing for two more. Coach Gus Malzahn didnt offer any indication of Whites status for the Iron Bowl after the game.ddddddddddddI think at this point its just being able to officially practice probably more than anything, Malzahn said. Well see where thats at. Im not ready to predict how hes going to feel in a day or two, or how hes going to do.For the most part, players from both teams skirted questions about the Iron Bowl after their respective games.Not Tide receiver Gehrig Dieter, who will experience his first after transferring from Bowling Green.I feel like everyone in the country kind of watches that game growing up, said Dieter, who caught two 1-yard touchdown passes against Chattanooga. I always watched it growing up, and its exciting that I have the chance to play in it. Its pretty exciting, as a team, what weve been doing this year, so we will come out next game and have an intensity about us.The general consensus among coach Nick Saban and Alabama players was that that intensity wasnt up to par in the latest game. The Tide fell behind early and led by a modest 14-3 at halftime.Tomlinson said players had already addressed the issues in the locker room before Saban came in wanting to know, Do you believe me now?He was angry, because Sabans always angry, Tomlinson said. He just got on everybody and made sure we were all focused.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 ' ' '