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Driving 10 hours round trip into triple-digit heat may not sound like the ideal summer vacation, but when the destination was this past weekend’s UFC International Fight Week in Las Vegas, fans couldn’t have hoped for a better trip. Similar in spirit to the WWE’s “Axxess” events, the weekend gave fans the opportunity to meet their favorite fighters, legends, ring girls and announcers, watch live amateur martial-arts competitions, and see a really amazing pay-per-view event in UFC 189.
Though the festivities began Thursday, I didn’t arrive until the following morning, when I headed directly to the Fan Expo set up in a large convention hall. The space was very well used, and while there was a lot happening, the hall never really seemed too crowded. Fighters signed and took photos with fans in well-organized corrals, while other events, including the 2015 UFC Hall of Fame induction ceremony, were held just a few steps away in a curtained off “theater” that actually came across much nicer than it probably sounds. There were also panels featuring fighters, as well as one that discussed recent changes in the UFC’s drug-testing policy, UFC president Dana White even hosted a live fan Q&A that quickly became absurd, as pretty much every single person in line asked him not a fight-related question, but rather a personal favor: a photo, tickets to upcoming events, an internship. One guy even asked Dana to buy new mats for his son’s wrestling team. (White said yes to everything, by the way, and appeared to mean it.)
Because the event was an all-hands-on-deck type of deal, comparable to Wrestlemania weekend, the fighters who were signing autographs were the best of the best – in fact, the only current champions who were not present were Ronda Rousey and TJ Diilashaw, both of whom are fighting in less than a month and are deep in camp at this point. (Welterweight champ Robbie Lawler was on the weekend’s card, and featherweight champion Jose Aldo was home with an injury.) The only exception to this rule was CM Punk, who was the weekend’s most popular attraction despite having not yet even made his MMA debut.
Punk also took part in the UFC’s Saturday morning Ulti-Man 5k run. Despite the event’s 7 a.m. start time, the temperature was already in the mid-80s. This was probably my favorite part of the weekend, mainly because there were lots of fighters present and willing to take pictures with fans. There was pretty much no line to meet any of them – in fact, CM Punk was just standing around by himself when I asked for a photo, which he didn’t hesitate to accommodate. Some fighters actually ran the race; others, including former champions Matt Hughes and Forrest Griffin, staffed the fitness stations at each mile marker, cheering on the runners.
The PPV itself was every bit as incredible as expected. I’ve been to several live UFC events, and this was the most expensive. But it also really felt historic, not only because of the instant-classic welterweight title fight but also the coronation of Conor McGregor as interim featherweight champion. There was a very heavy Irish presence in the arena, as European soccer chants filled the building from the start, as well as a lively “Where the **** is Aldo?” chant that broke out throughout the evening. Afterward, it was impossible to walk through the MGM Grand (where the PPV was held) without hearing some sort of Irish chant.
It’s hard to imagine any other major sports organization holding this kind of an event, though of course the UFC’s fan base is also much smaller than that of the NFL, NBA, and even the WWE. Unlike Axxess, the UFC rolled out only its top talent to meet fans. And, unlike Axxess, those big names were available to everyone without having to buy a special meet-and-greet package, like those that accompanied last year’s Summerslam panel discussions. Given its popularity, there may be no way for the WWE to stage anything as hands-on as International Fight Week, which is bad news for wrestling fans, but great news for those who love the UFC.
