Ennis' Take
ENNIS: The UFC 180 Theater Experience - On the advantages/disadvantages compared to home/bar viewing
Nov 17, 2014 - 12:20:37 PM ENNIS: The UFC 180 Theater Experience - On the advantages/disadvantages compared to home/bar viewing

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By: Shawn Ennis, MMATorch Senior Columnist

Saturday night I was able to take in the grandeur of UFC 180 from a movie theater. This wasn't the first time I have done so, having seen the UFC on the big screen in 2012 when GSP fought Carlos Condit for the Welterweight Title. I've seen people asking about the experience of seeing an event in a theater as opposed to the more traditional venues - i.e., one's living room or local wing establishment - so I'm going to try to break that down, as is my way of doing things, in the most empirical way possible: by listing the advantages and disadvantages the theater experience brings as compared to those other methods of taking in the fights.


1. The Food

This is one category that the theater experience loses handily, at least unless you don't mind the selection, quality, and most egregiously the price of movie theater food. On this particular occasion, my brother (with whom I watch pretty much every UFC PPV) and I stopped to eat before going to the theater, so we weren't necessarily hungry, but then who eats during the fights because they're hungry?

The winner of this category pretty much comes down to preference. I do love some wings, so the local wingery is a good option sometimes, but I'm also quite a cook when it comes to fight food, and being in the comfort of one's own living quarters certainly provides an endless array of options when it comes to food. Home wins this category for me (As a side note, I don't drink, so the availability of alcohol didn't play into this particular category).


2. The Company

This is a tougher one to evaluate completely since we were the only two in the theater on Saturday (of course this thing is as big as it's ever been, and don't tell Dana any different). But given the quality of the sound and the volume at which it was played - not to mention the lack of other options to which patrons can pay attention - I can see the theater experience with a big group of fans being far superior to that of a wing joint crowd.

You can hear the commentary (a mixed bag of course, but at least you can tell what's going on), and it's loud enough to drown out at least the opinions of those to whom you don't want to listen. That being said, anyone who's been to live fights knows the feeling of anticipation that fills a room when a big fight is on the way. For lesser events it might not be a big deal, but for the big shows I love being in a crowd that's buzzing with excitement. I can see that being the case with a theater full of fight fans, so for big shows, the theater wins this round.


3. The Experience

The most important category. Let's start with the price. At the wing joint, entry is free, of course, but with the understanding that you're going to lay down some cash for food and drink. When you're at home, it's 60 bucks split between however many people happen to be gathering to watch the fights (two in my case; again, gotta love the extended MMA boom period, right?), while the theater costs 15 bucks for entry.

At least in my case, the price alone is pretty attractive. And honestly not unreasonable given the other options on the table. As for the experience of watching the fights themselves on a big screen? Tremendous. This is the best option that I've come across thus far, short of seeing an event live.

Saturday night was proof positive of that. It was the difference between watching a movie on a big screen TV and watching in the theater, quite honestly. The punch that exploded Leslie Smith's ear? Extra gnarly. The accidental number two? Even more grossly evident. So while I can envision a scenario in which a full theater would be a different, and potentially better experience, I would still take being the only ones in the theater over watching at home any day. Next month, for the double main event at UFC 181, I know where I'll be watching if the theater is an option.