MMA Events Is Las Vegas Casinos

When it comes to MMA and Las Vegas, it has to be said that the two are intertwined like few other sports.

Whether in the current heyday of the sport or the wild beginnings, Vegas has long been a fertile spot for MMA events. In particular, the UFC has a long affinity with Vegas stretching back almost two decades.

Now that the casino capital of the world is facing stiff competition from online casinos, huge events like UFC are more vital than ever to the local economy. Players can learn more about online casinos by clicking here.

In this article, we will take a close look at MMA events in Las Vegas casinos, charting the history of the sport in Sin City throughout the years since its inception.

UFC 52

The headline event at this early iteration of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was the second clash between Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell. Held at the MGM Grand Arena in April 2006, the event was the highest-grossing MMA event in history at that time and finished with a knockout victory for Liddell after just two minutes of the first round. 

UFC 66

The second MMA event at a Las Vegas casino is UFC 66, which was held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in 2005. The headline fight was between Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. Once more, the bout resulted in a victory for Lidell via stoppage, this time in the third round. On the same night, Keith Jardina also defeated Forest Griffin via first-round TKO.

UFC 141

Also taking place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, UFC 141 saw a clash of the titans as Brock Lesnar fought Alistair Overeem back in 2011. Thought many fancied the enormous Lesnar, Overeem would be victorious with a first-round TKO win courtesy of a brutal body kick. In the same event, Nate Diaz defeated Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone in a performance that showed early glimpses of the California fighter’s now-trademark blend of nastiness, grit and skill.

UFC 194

One of the most iconic fights in UFC history took place at UFC 194 when Conor McGregor met Jose Aldo at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

On December 12, 2015, Irishman McGregor defeated Aldo with a spectacular knockout punch after just thirteen seconds of the first round to secure his first-ever UFC title. The fight had been charged by an acrimonious build-up period and both Aldo and McGregor had refused to touch gloves before the fight. The result and the manner in which it arrived continues to be seen as one of the biggest shocks in UFC history.

UFC 196

McGregor features in our final MMA event at a Las Vegas casino when he fought Nate Diaz in the headline fight from UFC 196 back in 2016. 

Although he would go on to lose via fourth-round submission to Diaz, McGregor took home twice as much as his counterpart when he netted a cool $1 million for this event. This reflects the way in which the Irishman’s star had soared since his win at UFC 194 against Aldo. This event, like the others on our list, also took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.