Now, what you see on television is just the tip of the iceberg. You you mainly will see are the main fights on the card, but going to the event is a whole different experience. This is my UFC 113 story.
Friday, May 7th, 2010, Craig and I left Ottawa and travelled to Montreal. We arrived around 10:30 am, parked the car, and headed to the hotel where the fighters were staying. Normally you would't be able to hang around a hotel if it were for a hockey team, but for some reason, the hotel lets you hang around without having a room for a UFC.
We went downstairs to where the fighters were trying to cut weight. Josh Koscheck went quickly wearing a hoody. Mike "The Joker" Guymon went by wearing only a towel and was having a tough time cutting weight. You almost feel bad for the sacrifice these fighters make just so that they can make their appropriate weight class.
The first fighter we met that we approached was none other than internet sensation Kimbo Slice. This was the second time I had met the guy, and though he looks mean, he is a really nice guy. He takes the time with his fans and appreciates exactly where he is.
Also hanging around was British fighter Dan Hardy, also a great guy. I even saw people taking video of personal messages for their friends from him. A real class act.
A few other fighters that we ran into were Jonathan "the Road Warrior" Goulet, and TUF 10 winner, James Wilks. Also, we ran into Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, who would fight for the Light-Heavyweight Championship the following day.
Craig and I then headed over to the Q&A with new Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar. He seemed like a very humble guy for having just won the belt. He talked about his old wrestling days and how much he hates that Jersey Shore show (he is also from Jersey).
In the foyer, there was also an autograph session with Jorge Riviera, Ricardo Almeida, Kurt Pellegrino, and Pat Barry. Following the Q&A was a special announcement with Dana White and GSP. The announcement made it official that GSP would be one of the coaches on TUF 12. The winner of the Koscheck vs. Daley fight would be the other coach (Koscheck would win). Next were the weigh-ins.After the weigh-ins, we headed back to the hotel to hang out for a couple of hours to meet more of the fighters and chat with other fans. We saw Randy Couture check into the hotel and then be quickly snuck out a side door. I will have to catch him at the Fan Expo in Vegas. We ran into Miguel Torres, Paul Daley, Joey Beltran, Mike Guymon, Pat Barry, Marcus Davis, Chandella, Arianny, John Salter, Yoshiyuki Yoshida, and Kimbo again. We also ran into one of the up-and-coming Brits, Andre Winner.
The fighter with the best entrances I've seen - Tom "Filthy" Lawlor - was also hanging around the lobby.
The night before every event, UFC President Dana White will tweet his location and give away free tickets until he has no more to give. Craig has his laptop at the hotel and so we were anxiously awaiting Dana's location. Finally it came....Esso at the corner of Sherbrooke and St. Laurent. Four of us darted for Craig's car in a panic. As soon as we got in the car, we heard the radio station announce the tweet. Balls. Everyone who was listening to that channel would now know that there were free tickets available.
It took us no longer than ten minutes to get to the location to find roughly 50 people surrounding Dana White. Tickets were already gone. It took a total of three minutes to get rid of them. I had to settle for a picture and an autograph.
It took us no longer than ten minutes to get to the location to find roughly 50 people surrounding Dana White. Tickets were already gone. It took a total of three minutes to get rid of them. I had to settle for a picture and an autograph.
After that, we called it a night.
On fight day, we got up early and headed back to the hotel for some breakfast. We then hung around the hotel looking for some more fighters who we had missed. The first guy we ran into was Seth Petruzelli, who was there to corner Tom Lawlor.
On fight day, we got up early and headed back to the hotel for some breakfast. We then hung around the hotel looking for some more fighters who we had missed. The first guy we ran into was Seth Petruzelli, who was there to corner Tom Lawlor.
For those of you who don't know him, he was the guy that jumped into the main event at an Elite XC event when Ken Shamrock got hurt. He then turned around and beat Kimbo Slice in what was, at the time, a huge upset. He thanked me for the support and even wrote "Kimbo Killer" on the photo without me asking. It was awesome.
We also ran into Sam Stout, Jorge Rivera, TJ Grant, Maurillo "Ninja" Rua, Jeremy Stephens, Mark Dellagrotte, Tim Hague, and the champion, Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida. Machida was being moved around by his people and therefore was only signing and taking pictures as he was moving from place to place. I was fortunate enough to grab a quick autograph.
It was then time to head to the fights. I won't speak much about them, but lets just say that they did not disappoint. The undercard started at 7:20 and the main event finished at 12:30am. Five hours of fights was definately worth the money.
The highlight of the event was Mauricio "Shogun" Rua upsetting the undefeated champion by knockout in the first round to win the championship.
After the fights we headed back to the hotel to hang out with fight club members and chat with some of the fighters. I was finally able to run into the new Kimbo Killer, and former NY Giant, Matt Mitrione. I also ran into Joe Rogan, Frankie Edgar, and former Light-Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans. I am pumped for Vegas so I can see Rashad finally fight Rampage.
Finally the champ came back, but was being moved quickly to avoid the crowds. I was able to snap a quick pic of the champ with his new belt.
So, as you can see, the main card is just the start of the weekend. Any fight fan needs to attend at least one event in their life and get the whole experience.
It was then time to head to the fights. I won't speak much about them, but lets just say that they did not disappoint. The undercard started at 7:20 and the main event finished at 12:30am. Five hours of fights was definately worth the money.
The highlight of the event was Mauricio "Shogun" Rua upsetting the undefeated champion by knockout in the first round to win the championship.
After the fights we headed back to the hotel to hang out with fight club members and chat with some of the fighters. I was finally able to run into the new Kimbo Killer, and former NY Giant, Matt Mitrione. I also ran into Joe Rogan, Frankie Edgar, and former Light-Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans. I am pumped for Vegas so I can see Rashad finally fight Rampage.
Finally the champ came back, but was being moved quickly to avoid the crowds. I was able to snap a quick pic of the champ with his new belt.
So, as you can see, the main card is just the start of the weekend. Any fight fan needs to attend at least one event in their life and get the whole experience.
