Your experience going to UFC/MMA events?

[MMC]

For those of you who have attended a UFC event, or any other MMA promotions, share your experiences here.

I really want to go to a UFC event, and plan on trying to the next time it's in either Southern California or Toronto. Hopefully soon

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[CDJ]

Saw Reyes-Weidman in Boston as my only card. I’ve been to countless Bruins, Sox, Pats, and Celtics games but that’s been my fav sporting event I’ve ever been to

Lauzon hopefully doesn’t fight again because that was a perfect way to go out. Never seen a crowd go ape shit like that before in-person

 

[End of Line]

Saw UFC 203 where Stipe KO’d Overeem in Cleveland. Only comparable to the sound I experienced from the eruption of the crowd is Playoff hockey. Granted it’s a bit of an outlier since Stipe is from NE Ohio but it’s one of the more unique environments to attend.

 

[chicagoskycam]

Rashad vs. Rampage, UFC 114. Like with most seats at a UFC, you have to watch the big screen but they didn't have many high-quality ones there at the time. I saw Fedor in Chicago in 2011. I much prefer to watch them from home but they can be a great experience with the crowd.

 

[m9]

I've been to a good amount of UFC cards. UFC 71 (Chuck v Rampage 2) was the first card I went to.

My only recommendation is go to a smaller venue show, skip the arena shows. MGM & Mandalay in Vegas are great for watching fights because they're built for that purpose and are smaller than arenas. Even the worst seats are good. Any hockey/basketball arena the atmosphere just isn't the same, but if you have to go arena it's worth paying extra for better seats.

The other thing about Vegas shows - usually celebs & fighters walking around the event, which is kind of cool.

 

[I am not exposed]

Prefer watching it on TV.

Live event was okay. Went for the experience. But once is enough especially for the cost. Had seats on the ground floor about 10th row back. But still had to look at the big screen. TV experience is better as you see replays and multiple angles in the comfort of your own home.

 

[Brodeur]

I attended the first UFC on Fox event which probably isn't the best example. They only televised the main event so there felt like a 30-45 minute break between the co-main event and JDS/Cain. It was especially funny since that was over in like a minute. I like to think there was at least one person in the production process who happily told the other folks "I told you so" about not showing the other fights in lieu of a 30 minute show to hype up the main event.

It is a fun atmosphere to be around, crowd was into the Benson Henderson / Clay Guida fight. I was up in the nosebleeds, so that took away from it somewhat. The downtime after that fight and the main event let the air out of the building.

It might depend on the price for me. I was in Fort Lauderdale for the 2015 NHL Draft and the UFC had a show (Machida/Romero) in the area that night. But I balked at the cost; Cheapest seat was like $130.

I'd say do it once for the experience to see gauge how much you like it. It was like other sports for me where I enjoy attending once in awhile but it can just be more convenient to enjoy from home.

 

[m9]

I saw the first UFC on Fox event which probably isn't the best example. They only televised the main event so there felt like a 30-45 minute break between the co-main event and JDS/Cain. It was especially funny since that was over in like a minute. I like to think there was at least one person in the production process who happily told the other folks "I told you so" about not showing the other fights in lieu of a 30 minute show to hype up the main event.

It is a fun atmosphere to be around, crowd was into the Benson Henderson / Clay Guida fight. I was up in the nosebleeds, so that took away from it somewhat.

It might depend on the price for me. I was in Fort Lauderdale for the 2015 NHL Draft and the UFC had a show (Machida/Romero) in the area that night. But I balked at the cost; Cheapest seat was like $130.

Yeah them not showing Henderson/Guida - which was an extremely fun and relevant fight at the time - is one of the oddest decisions we've seen. Such a strange way to introduce the brand.

 

[m9]

Prefer watching it on TV.

Live event was okay. Went for the experience. But once is enough especially for the cost. Had seats on the ground floor about 10th row back. But still had to look at the big screen. TV experience is better as you see replays and multiple angles in the comfort of your own home.

The best way I can describe it is that everything about being there is better than home.. other than the actual fights. The atmosphere, walkouts, and crowd are great. But then the fight starts and you wish you were on your couch watching it on 65" HD.

 

[CDJ]

When I went I saw cageside seats at the Garden for like $400 and honestly I think I may drop that next time just for the experience

I hear it’s worth it. Might be tough to get somebody else to bite the bullet on that to go with me but maybe I can convince my boss to do it and write it off as a business expense lol

 

[pistolpete11]

I've never been. If I ever go, I'd want it to be a good PPV with at least 1 fight I really cared about. I'm not planning a trip around it, though, and I think I probably missed my shot with Max-Aldo 2 which also featured Francis-Overeem and Alvarez-Gaethje. Could have stretched it for the Stipe-Overeem one in Cleveland or really stretched it with Whittaker-Romero 2 in Chicago.

 

[Chaels Arms]

I went to UFC 208 (Holm v. De Randamie) at Barclays Center in 2017. Really didn't care terribly much for the sport at that time and went primarily to see the Barclays Center. I echo what others have said: it was great for the music, walkouts, etc. but not good for watching the fights themselves.

Looking back now it was actually a really good card. Silva/Brunson, Glover/Canonier, Poirier/Miller with Makhachev and Belal Muhammad on the prelim card.

 

[Sheppy]

UFC 131 in Vancouver was the only one i've been at.

If you can get past the "KNOCK HIM OUT!" "PUNCH HIM!" goofs, it's not bad depending on where you're sitting. I really liked our location, second bowl, first row. You're looking down into the octagon. I found the sound was great. You could hear Yves Edwards head bounce off the canvas after Stout KO'd him.

But yeah, you're going to encounter douchebags for sure, like any event, really... but more so combat sports.

 

[m9]

UFC 131 in Vancouver was the only one i've been at.

If you can get past the "KNOCK HIM OUT!" "PUNCH HIM!" goofs, it's not bad depending on where you're sitting. I really liked our location, second bowl, first row. You're looking down into the octagon. I found the sound was great. You could hear Yves Edwards head bounce off the canvas after Stout KO'd him.

But yeah, you're going to encounter douchebags for sure, like any event, really... but more so combat sports.

I was at that card too and the crowd was filled with d-bags that night. I don't know if it was just a Vancouver thing or what, but that was the worst crowd I've ever been in. They also lowered giant projectors into the upper deck so you had to either move back to watch them or move in front of them so you could see the cage. Really weird, never seen that before.

 

[m9]

I went to UFC 208 (Holm v. De Randamie) at Barclays Center in 2017. Really didn't care terribly much for the sport at that time and went primarily to see the Barclays Center. I echo what others have said: it was great for the music, walkouts, etc. but not good for watching the fights themselves.

Looking back now it was actually a really good card. Silva/Brunson, Glover/Canonier, Poirier/Miller with Makhachev and Belal Muhammad on the prelim card.

It's kind of funny looking back on cards and seeing the talent. I saw a Fight Night in Seattle that wasn't a great card but had Korean Zombie, Alex Caceres, Johnny Hendricks and some others on the undercard.

We were also sitting next to a fighter's wife or girlfriend. The fighter was getting his ass kicked for 15 minutes and his girl spent the whole time crying and sadly shouting his name. Good stuff.

 

[Sheppy]

I was at that card too and the crowd was filled with d-bags that night. I don't know if it was just a Vancouver thing or what, but that was the worst crowd I've ever been in. They also lowered giant projectors into the upper deck so you had to either move back to watch them or move in front of them so you could see the cage. Really weird, never seen that before.

Yeah, not a good week for Vancouver folk. I was getting beers tossed at me for wearing a Bruins jersey that weekend. I went there for game 5 and then the fights, haha.

 

[m9]

Yeah, not a good week for Vancouver folk. I was getting beers tossed at me for wearing a Bruins jersey that weekend. I went there for game 5 and then the fights, haha.

Oh man, I forgot that was the same year. I guess if you wear a Bruins jersey you kind of knew what you were getting into to some extent.

 

[CDJ]

UFC 131 in Vancouver was the only one i've been at.

If you can get past the "KNOCK HIM OUT!" "PUNCH HIM!" goofs, it's not bad depending on where you're sitting. I really liked our location, second bowl, first row. You're looking down into the octagon. I found the sound was great. You could hear Yves Edwards head bounce off the canvas after Stout KO'd him.

But yeah, you're going to encounter douchebags for sure, like any event, really... but more so combat sports.

I almost witnessed a fight at the Boston/Reyes-Weidman event because a fighter from Peabody beat a fighter from Bridgewater, it was the dumbest shit I’ve ever seen

 

[Sheppy]

I almost witnessed a fight at the Boston/Reyes-Weidman event because a fighter from Peabody beat a fighter from Bridgewater, it was the dumbest shit I’ve ever seen

It's actually hilarious how mentally fragile some people are when it comes to that shit.

 

[pistolpete11]

It's kind of funny looking back on cards and seeing the talent. I saw a Fight Night in Seattle that wasn't a great card but had Korean Zombie, Alex Caceres, Johnny Hendricks and some others on the undercard.

We were also sitting next to a fighter's wife or girlfriend. The fighter was getting his ass kicked for 15 minutes and his girl spent the whole time crying and sadly shouting his name. Good stuff.

I was just thinking this recently when I looked up the first UFC card I watched live. It was a UFC on Fox which had RDA vs. Cowboy for the LW belt, but more infamously had Nate-Johnson with Nate's "f*** that, Conor McGregor you're taking everything I worked for motherf***er!" rant in the post-fight interview. On the undercard was Charlie Olive, Valentina, and on the 3 fight early prelims was Usman-Edwards, Luque, and Francis.

UFC 196 was subsequent first PPV I bought which had Conor-Nate 1 and Holm-Tate. I think that main card was boring and the prelims wasn't anything special in terms of name value (although weirdly Diego-Jim Miller was on the early prelims), but the main event and co-main event certainly delivered. I always wondered if I came into the UFC at a different time if I would have stuck around.


Edit: I take that back. There was a UFC on at a party when I was in college. I want to say it was UFC 100 because I think it was Lesnar.