ddNotre Dame steadily built on a 14-point halftime le

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. Ultra Boost España .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Ultra Boost España Baratas . Darren Helm scored on Detroits sixth attempt in the shootout and then Jonas Gustavsson stopped Andrew Shaws shot, lifting the Detroit Red Wings to a 5-4 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night. http://www.ultraboostbaratas.es/ . Neymar curled home a free kick from just outside the area to put the 2014 World Cup host ahead in the 44th minute. Three minutes after the break, a simple through pass from Paulinho freed Oscar and the Chelsea star rounded goalkeeper Jung Sung-ryong to extend Brazils lead. Ultra Boost Baratas Rebajas . - Levi Browns tenure at left tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers is over before it even began. Ultra Boost Baratas . Peter Gammons, an analyst for Major League Baseballs network and website, drew the ire of hockey fans on Sunday when he criticized the two NHL teams on Twitter for their physical game the night before. SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- ?Notre Dames V.J. Beachem scored 21 points Friday night and teammate Bonzie Colson added 19 as the Irish coasted to an 83-48 victory over visiting Loyola of Maryland.Right now, he is just so darn confident, said Notre Dame coach Mike Brey, whose team improved to 3-0. Hes a very, very confident guy.Beachem scored in a variety of ways -- 3-pointers, drives to the basket, from the free-throw line.Thats what was neat tonight, Brey said. Hes a moving target.Beachem fueled a first-half spurt in which the Irish overcame an early deficit to wrestle control of the game. Trailing 10-6, Beachem scored 10 points during a 23-5 run as the Irish opened up a big lead.Just to get in a rhythm like that and the guys finding me, it feels great, Beachem said.V.J. Beachems really good, said Loyola coach G.G. Smith, whose team fell to 1-3. We let him dominate the game today.??Colson killed us too.As well as Beachem and Colson played offensively, the talk after the game was how well the Irish played defensively. Notre Dame forced 18 turnovers and limited the Greyhounds to 16 of 54 from the field (29 percent).I loved how we defended. I thought we were flying all over the place. Love that energy, Brey saidAndre Walker, Andrew Kostecka, Jarred Jones and James Fives each scored eight points to top Loyola. Walker entered thhe game averaging 15 points per game while Jones came in with a 14-point average.ddddddddddddNotre Dame steadily built on a 14-point halftime lead to put the game away. The Irish connected on 34 of 70 shots from the field (48 percent), including 10 of 25?from 3-point range (40 percent).The Irish dressed in all green uniforms on their home court, and the look stood out to Brey, especially when his team was dazzling on defense.The speed defense was amazing to watch, Brey said, and with these green uniforms, I was getting cross-eyed.?BIG PICTURENotre Dame: The Irish are in the midst of a busy stretch with Fridays game their second in three days. Notre Dames victory over Seattle Wednesday began a 14-day span in which it will play six games.Loyola: The Greyhounds lost for the third time in four outings. Loyolas first two losses came by five and four points prior to Fridays 35-point setback to the Irish.UP NEXTNotre Dame: Notre Dame hits the road for the first time this season when it plays Colorado Monday against Colorado in the Legends Classic at Barclays Center in New York.Loyola: After opening with three of its first four away from home, Loyola will entertain Fairfield Wednesday afternoon. ' ' '