UFC 311, the first Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) pay-per-view (PPV), will go down this weekend (Sat., Jan. 18, 2025) inside the brand-new Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California, but it should be moved to “Sin City.”
As you probably know by now, Southern California is currently burning with five different fires, and at least 24 people have been killed, according to NYTimes. Three of the fires have been contained. However, the Palisades fire is at 13% containment, and the Eaton fire is 33% contained.
The arena where UFC 311 will be held and most of downtown Los Angeles are in absolutely zero danger of burning, but that’s not the point. It is a terrible time to hold a sporting event, and it is pretty irresponsible.
The promotion can spin the narrative that they are bringing fights for entertainment and for people to lose themselves – but who the hell cares about mixed martial arts (MMA) when the state is burning, and the fire is only 20 miles away?
UFC did hold an event six days after the deadliest mass shooting by a lone gunman in American history in the city where it occurred, which was questionable at that time, too – but UFC 216 was a great distraction that helped Las Vegas begin its recovery.
I guess the same phrase can be said for UFC 311, meaning maybe the fights this Saturday can be a distraction and help southern California recover. However, with the fire STILL burning and the winds picking back up, there will still be evacuations midweek.
Believe me, I want to watch UFC 311 just as much as anyone because it is a killer card, but it makes more sense to move the event to Las Vegas and then switch the upcoming March PPV back to Los Angeles.
Yes, UFC will lose money, and there will be many refunds, but the multi-billion dollar promotion will be okay.
For the finalized UFC 311 fight card and PPV lineup click here.
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
