MMA Expo in San Diego

Even MMA has a trade show. Later this month the MMA Expo will be held in San Diego, California and the celebs they have lined up make it worthwhile to attend. The official public release:

The Fight Expo is March 20-21 in Del Mar, California and it’s poised to be one of the biggest MMA events of its kind. One of the highlights of the event is the $25,000 Grapplers Quest 10th Anniversary Weekend. In addition to the grappling tournament, Grapplers Quest will be inducting its inaugural Hall of Fame class, which includes Greg Jackson, Jake Shields, Brandon Vera, Diego Sanchez, and Joe Stevenson (all scheduled to be in attendance that weekend) among others.

The Fight Expo has also partnered with The Make-A-Wish Foundation of San Diego (R) for the event. A portion of registration fees are going to the foundation and five Make-A-Wish kids are going to get the chance to meet their favorite MMA stars on that Saturday. They will be introduced into the cage by Bruce Buffer and will also be involved in a number of different activities that day, including serving as guest judges for part of the Grapplers Quest tournament (I think Gina Carano will be their escort for the day).

Here are a few other things going on at the Expo.

· X-game gold medalists performing motocross stunts;
· Channing Tatum and the other the stars from the upcoming Rogue Picture’s film release “Fighting;”
· Close to 100 exhibitors selling the top MMA clothing, nutrition and health products;
· A special area for women, including the “Chic Boutique,” which will have clothing, jewelry displays, massage therapists and an “elite” dating service; and
· Trophy and award presentations to the Grapplers Quest winners upon completion of the tournament.
· An MMA clinic organized by Greg Jackson, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to The Make-A-Wish Foundation of San Diego (R) .

Sounds like fun to me. Too bad I live in Virginia.