Pick your passion. That’s what New York combat fans must do Nov. 4, when Madison Square Garden and Barclays Center host major MMA and boxing shows on the same evening.
The UFC makes its return to the Garden with UFC 217 where former welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre makes his long-awaited return against middleweight champion Michael Bisping. On the same night, Deontay Wilder will defend his WBC heavyweight championship against Luis Ortiz, in a matchup of boxers with a combined record of 65-0 and 60 knockouts.
Most cities wouldn’t be able to host two major combat sporting events on the same night. It would spread the entertainment dollar too thin. But executives from the Garden and Barclays Center aren’t concerned one event will negatively impact the other.
“Based on our initial sales and pre-sales, we’re in great shape,” said Brett Yormark, the CEO of Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment. “We shouldn’t have any issues.”
The heavyweight fight was announced this week, while tickets for UFC 217 went on sale earlier this month. While it’s not uncommon for the UFC and boxing to share dates, the venues normally aren’t in the same city.
UFC 217 will be on pay-per-view, while Showtime will broadcast Wilder-Ortiz live.
Both cards are attractive. St-Pierre, one of the greatest fighters in MMA history, returns after a nearly four-year layoff, against the mouthy Bisping. On the undercard, newly crowned champ Cody Garbrandt defends his bantamweight title against former belt-holder T. J. Dillashaw, and popular women’s strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk defends against Rose Namajunas.
Tickets are easier on the budget than when the UFC made its long-awaited New York debut at UFC 205 on Nov. 12, 2016. There were three title fights on that card, highlighted by Conor McGregor’s win over Eddie Alvarez for the UFC lightweight championship. A crowd of 20,427 generated a record gate of $17.7 million.
Tickets for UFC 217 remain available at various outlets ranging from $3,000 to $250. Tickets for boxing’s heavyweight championship in Brooklyn are from $1,000 to $65.
“Madison Square Garden can’t wait to host our second UFC event on Nov. 4,” said Joel Fisher, executive vice president, MSG Marquee Events. “We’re expecting a sellout crowd and a great night of MMA for New York area fans.”
At Barclays, Wilder (38-0, 37 KOs) and Ortiz (27-0, 23 KOs) face each other in what figures to be an explosive showdown of knockout artists.
“We always want to be part of those 50-50 fights when people come into the building and you don’t know who is going to win,” Yormark said. “This captivates the interest of fans. “
New York, the Garden and Barclays Center are big enough to handle both events. It’s a continuation of a year in which both venues have presented strong combat attractions. After Irish Olympian Michael Conlan made his pro debut at the Garden Theater, the arena hosted Gennady “GGG” Golovkin’s win over Daniel Jacobs in March. A few weeks later, Terence Crawford defeated Felix Diaz, and in June, Bellator made its MMA debut in New York. The upcoming Garden schedule has former light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev fighting Vyacheslav Shabranskyy on Nov. 25 at the Garden Theater and Vasyl Lomachenko defending his title against Guillermo Rigondeaux on Dec. 9. Miguel Cotto is holding a date for Dec. 2.
Barclays, which began its boxing program five years ago, also is in the midst of a banner year. It began in January when Badou Jack and James DeGale fought to a majority draw and continued with Keith Thurman beating Danny Garcia in a much-anticipated meeting of welterweight champions. Later, Shawn Porter earned a ninth-round TKO over Andre Berto and Mikey Garcia captured a one-sided decision over Adrien Broner. Three junior middleweight titles will be on the line at Barclays Center on Oct. 14 before the heavyweight battle on Nov. 4.
“My concentration has been on making sure we’re bringing the best and most memorable fights here,” Yormark said. “This year, I think we’ve accomplished that.”
Fans looking to be in attendance Nov. 4 will have to pick their passion.