Combat Sports
Report: UFC Returning to Atlantic City for First-Time in 5-years
Mike Lipinski has been covering Philadelphia sports since 2005. Previous stops include Section 247 Sports, My MMA News, and more. He has been a part of the Sports Talk Philly team since 2019. He is the editor of Philadelphia Phillies content, co-editor for college football covering mainly the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, and dabbling in all other sports. Follow him on social media channels -Twitter & Threads- @MLipinskiSports
All posts by Mike LipinskiPublished25 May 2023
The Ultimate Fighting Championship is reportedly eyeing a return to the great Garden State according to MMA writer Joel Noecker (via Crossing Broad). The event is reportedly slated for December 2023.
It would mark the first time the UFC has promoted in the area since March 2019.
While no official announcement has been made, the card is likely to be a “Fight Night” event according to MMA Orbit.
Atlantic City, once a pivotal home for the UFC, has not hosted a UFC card since UFC Fight Night 128: Barboza vs. Lee on April 21, 2018. The event drew 9,541 fans to the famous Boardwalk Hall with a gate of just under a million dollars, a reported $923,720. In the main event of the FS1 card, Kevin Lee defeated Edson Barboza via doctor stoppage in the fifth round.
Boardwalk Hall is the likely home for the rumored December event although UFC has run events in the then Revel Events Center and the Estess Arena in the past. The last major UFC PPV to take place in Atlantic City was UFC 53: Heavy Hitters in June 2004 which featured interim Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski defeating the late Justin Eilers in the main event.
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