What it is like to go to UFC’s International Fight Week

The UFC International Fight Week 2019 in Las Vegas was memorable in may ways. There were an array of events to attend, starting with the open workouts, weigh ins, UFC Fan Experience, and of course the UFC PPV – UFC 239.

The open workouts took place in the MGM Casino near the aptly named “TAP” restaurant. What struck me was that Holly Holm opened the workout event and Amanda Nunes closed it. Go girl power!

The open workouts weren’t exactly workouts. They were snapshots of what a UFC fighter’s workout is like. Most fighters indulged the fans with insight into how they warm up. There were many commonalities – including the move where athletes lock arms and move side to side, alternatively. Some fighters demonstrated take downs and some even boxed. Kudos to Amanda Nunes for boxing in front of us. I wouldn’t want to be on the other end of her punches.

Jorge Masvidal took questions from the fans, endearing us to him. Each fighter had a different approach to showing off his/her skills and personality and that was appreciated.

All in all, it was nice to see the fighters in person and to be able to be so close to them. They were still in the middle of cutting weight for the PPV and they all looked much thinner in person than on TV. Weight cut, or not, they were lean fighting machines.

The Weigh – ins were probably the most anticlimactic event of the week. It was as you see it on TV, but somewhat more energizing in person.

The UFC Fan Experience was hands down amazing. If you signed up in advance (which I did not), you got to stand in line to meet your favorite fighters, who formed a seated receiving line for autographs. Signing up for the autograph sessions is a great way to get a high number of autographs and to meet many fighters. However, you could also wait in line for the meet and greets with specific fighters, as I did for Valentina Shevchenko. The UFC partners host these meet and greets. I waited for about 2 hours to meet Valentina, but I did so while happily drinking a Monster zero calorie energy drink. Needless to say, by the time I was at the front of the line, I was perky and happy.

I also met Cowboy Cerrone, who was very friendly. The exterior of the fan experience had the UFC in big red letters as well as a full sized octagon for photo ops.

By the day of the PPV, I was invigorated. Still feeling awesome after meeting Valentina and Cerrone during the fan experience, I went to the PPV ready to cheer. I chose the lounge seating – which, although far away from the octagon, was a surprisingly affordable seat with a good view and a VIP experience. I had a comfy seat and a personal waitress. I was frankly very surprised that it was almost empty up there until the main card started. Maybe it is naïve of me to think this, but who in his/her right mind would pay money to sit in a swanky lounge and yet only show up half way through the PPV? Not me. No, I was there to watch, to analyze, and to geek out on MMA.

By far, the highlight fight for me was Jorge Masvidal vs. Ben Askren. There are no words to describe the fight. If I were to describe my reaction it would be: WTF just happened. This fight was one of the most impressive, scary, violent, gut wrenching, and surprising fights that I have ever seen. When you watch these fights regularly, you come to understand just how hard it is to end a fight in the first round, let alone a few seconds in. One of the reasons why Ronda Rousey deserves the recognition as one of the most talented fighters in history is because for years, she managed to end her fights in a matter of seconds and she made it look easy. Jorge made this look easy – and that isn’t easy to do.

The Holm vs. Nunes fight wasn’t as long as I would have hoped for but it did show Nunes’ dominance in her weight class (which, ironically, is mine as well and no, I won’t be challenging her anytime soon). Jones vs. Santos was impressive, not with regard to the action that took place but because of Santos’ resolve to fight through the 5 rounds despite what appeared to be an injured knee.

The time spent in Las Vegas for the PPV was productive and fun. I’d recommend it to anyone who is a fight fan and who also wants to add structure to a vacation in the hot desert. Fans were excited throughout the week and what struck me most was their enthusiasm for the sport and the fighters. Fighting requires passion and resolve. UFC’s fight week brought out these attributes not only in the fighters, but in the fans.

Bottom Line – sign me up for fight week in 2020. You should come too.