One phrase described UFC Freedom 250 on the South Garden of the White Home on Sunday evening: surreal.
“I’ve seen some surreal issues in my life,” UFC analyst Joe Rogan mentioned earlier than the combating started (h/t Bleacher Report’s live blog). “That is essentially the most surreal.”
Like Rogan, many spectators and viewers could have needed to pinch themselves to ensure they weren’t hallucinating.
Why did UFC Freedom 250 really feel surreal?
UFC Freedom 250 grew to become the primary skilled sporting occasion held on the White Home. One would anticipate an occasion of that magnitude to be electrical. Sunday’s venue, nevertheless, was subdued.
The UFC constructed a 4,300-seat open-air area on the White Home. To place that in perspective, the smallest stadium in Division I FBS Faculty Soccer is Fifth Third Stadium, house of the Kennesaw State Owls — it nonetheless holds extra followers. Its estimated most capability is 10,200 spectators.
Not like faculty soccer video games, tickets for the South Garden weren’t accessible to most people; they have been primarily invite-only. Most followers have been in all probability watching on the Ellipse, a 52-acre park close to the White Home, which was anticipated to host 85,000 UFC supporters (via Eric Ziff of ESPN).
With many UFC followers absent, the ambiance was a lot much less intense than at fights held at T-Cell Area in Las Vegas. Simply take heed to the response to Octagon announcer Bruce Buffer’s fighter introductions.
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