Roundtables
ROUNDTABLE: Will the UFC actually run AT&T Stadium outside Dallas for Aldo-McGregor?
Jul 22, 2015 - 5:15:17 PM ROUNDTABLE: Will the UFC actually run AT&T Stadium outside Dallas for Aldo-McGregor?

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Do you think the UFC will actually run at AT&T Stadium in December? What do you think they'd need to pair with Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor on that date to break their all time attendance record?


MICHAEL BANE, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

I definitely think they want it to happen, and the rumblings that they're trying to make it happen are real. There's some stars that are going to need to align, though, as it would be something of a disaster if they put on the show at AT&T only to have the stadium be half empty. The UFC 189 pay-per-view buys are going to be something that is a very big factor in whether or not they decide to push forward. If McGregor can draw 800,000 plus as a featherweight (something the UFC already knows and has already factored into how hard they're pushing for this) we have a major endorsement that McGregor is a fighter than can draw eyeballs and sell tickets. Let's not discount the fact the number is also not quite as high as it would have been had the actual main event taken place and we weren't left with a fighter jumping in on two weeks notice for a fake belt.

The UFC has gone on record saying they're going to spend even more money to promote Aldo vs. McGregor the second time around. The UFC put more cash down for promotion in the first McGregor main event than any other fight they've ever had. If you're going to go biggest ever again, it makes perfect sense to make this the fight you use to try to fill AT&T Stadium. The UFC has been talking quite some time about having an event there. With the current roster, the high point they're at with McGregor, and the way the pay-per-view schedule is lining up, the iron is hot. Who knows if/when it will be again, so striking now would be make sense if it ever is going to.

A big event is going to call for big fights, and there needs to be at least one additional title fight on tap for this show in Dallas. Given what champions are currently booked and for when, there's a couple of potential bouts that stand out as a good co-main event to Aldo vs. McGregor.

First up, Luke Rockhold has been named next in line to fight Weidman for the Middleweight Title. If you're looking for a battle of two guys who look invincible with no discernible weaknesses, this might be your scrap. On paper, it looks like a potential Fight of the Year candidate. While neither of these two are huge stars (Weidman's "personality" leaves a bit to be desired), exposing their fighting skills to what is bound to be a large audience may have some ancillary benefit to both the fighters and the UFC.

Another possibility is Ronda Rousey. After she beats Bethe Corriea in Brazil, there's good chance she can turn around in four months to face the next sacrificial lamb opponent the UFC puts in front of her. This could very well be Holly Holm, who has enough positive qualities that the UFC can write a good promotional campaign for her trying to take down the unstoppable force that is Rousey. While we can argue that Holm isn't ready yet to take the belt from the champ, the truth is that it doesn't matter. No one is. Holm's ceiling isn't high enough that she ever will be ready for Rousey, and there's no one else.

The fight that makes the most sense might involves the guy who was part of the co-main event at UFC 189: Robbie Lawler. Lawler's fight against Rory MacDonald is the Fight of the Year front runner at the moment. A lot of people saw that fight, and those who did likely want to see him fight again. Johny Hendricks is pretty close to being local as he's from Oklahoma, and he trains out of Dallas. This can only help in drawing people into the stands, and you're going to want a hot crowd at a card of this magnitude. Lawler vs. Hendricks 3 is a fight that has a lot of built in story lines that make for good and easy promotion.

If I'm the UFC I throw a third title fight on there as well and pit Joanna Jedrzejcyck against somebody. You don't want to stack a card so badly that future cards suffer, but it's not like the women's strawweight division was going to be headlining anything other than Fight Night cards anyway. Putting her on the card would raise awareness both of an exciting young fighter (she's must see for MMA fans) and a division many aren't familiar with. It's too bad that Michelle Waterson is ranked so lowly, as we could get a fun stand-up battle with her and "The Karate Hottie" has certain qualities that tend to get people to pay attention to her. The winner of Claudia Gadelha vs. Jessica Aguilar would serve just fine, and makes sense from a rankings standpoint.


DAN MOORE, MMATORCH UK COLUMNIST

Imagine a card with Aldo vs. McGregor, Weidman vs. Rockhold, and either Werdum vs. Arlovski or Rousey vs. Tate/Eye. Three title fights and you’ve got the foundation for a fantastic card that could easily break the attendance record. Add a couple more high quality pay-per-view fights and load the undercard with up-and-coming young talent like Thomas Almeida and Aljamain Sterling. Matt Brown would also help! All of that should get the fans flocking to Dallas in December.

Biggest key for me in all of this is the cost. They can afford to price the tickets ridiculously cheap and still break every record in sight. If they base the ticket prices on a European event, rather than Las Vegas, I guarantee they will sell considerably more. If the UFC get greedy, those Irish fans that so impressively travelled to Vegas last week won’t be able to afford to do it again this year. They will sell their own mother to be in attendance, but even that might not be enough if the UFC over-charge for tickets.


FRANK HYDEN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

There's nothing in particular that they have to book for this event. It's not like anyone is going to say that they have to have this certain fight or person on there, but they have to have an extremely strong card overall. At least one more title fight, if not two. They would also have to put in a few big non-title fights. They can't be content to let 1 or 2 fights sell the whole thing, or rely on McGregor to sell everything, they need to put together as strong a card as they possibly can. They also need to put standbys in place in case of injury. If the UFC is going to go to the trouble of booking such a huge stadium, they have to prepare for injuries. Hopefully they don't happen, but they need to be ready in case they do.

I think the UFC will run an event at AT&T Stadium because the stakes are so high. It's not often that you get handed an opportunity like this. If they put together a good card behind Aldo-McGregor, they could easily sell 60,000-70,000 seats, if not more.


TOM STRONG, MMATORCH UK CONTRIBUTOR

Can you imagine one of the biggest and most anticipated fights in UFC history between Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo and the Interim Champion Conor McGregor being held in a packed out AT&T stadium full of passionate Brazilian and Irish fans? The thought of it is mouth watering!

Do the UFC have to pack the card out with top fights? Probably not as this fight will take centre stage, and everything around it will be totally forgotten until fight night, like it did at UFC 189. There's little doubt if they want to break the all time attendance record they will be pulling out all the stops to make it happen, which will probably include another title fight on the line. If this is the case I'm putting forward Ronda Rousey vs. Cris Cyborg!


DAYNE FOX, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

I would LOVE to see the UFC stage Aldo-McGregor at AT&T Stadium, but I don't think it is going to happen. Uncle Dana has been talking about getting an event in there for the last five years and it still hasn't happened yet. While I do believe it will happen someday, I pretty sure it will need more than 5 months worth of planning to pull off an event there. Let it be stated that I will be pleasantly surprised if it does happen.

The rumors that I've heard are that Chris Weidman and Luke Rockhold would be the co-main event for the AT&T Stadium show and I think that would be enough to break the attendance record. However, my gut feeling is that they will headline the November pay-per-view. So how about Robbie Lawler and Johny Hendricks? They've already had two epic fights, and Hendricks has roots in the area, which very well could be enough to break the record in conjunction with Aldo-McGregor.


RICH HANSEN, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

Of course they're going to run AT&T Stadium in Dallas this December. I'm very anxious to go down there to see Conor McGregor vs. Frankie Edgar. I also think Anderson Silva is going to fight Georges St-Pierre there. Also, I fully believe that Jon Jones vs. Anderson Silva will be on that card (and isn't Anderson Silva a trooper, taking two fights on one night. LOVE YOU TEXAS!), Brock Lesnar vs. Fedor Emelianenko will be an awesome fourth fight (and thank God only three rounds), Anderson Silva vs. Chris Weidman will be a fantastic curtain-jerker (and damn, Anderson, you're the man), and while not worthy of such a spectacle I know that Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos will be a good local draw to help sell tickets.

Or maybe, just maybe, while I may have alerted my best friends to reserve the weekend and check airfares*, I know this shit ain't happening.

*- Lest you think I'm too cynical: $117 from Chicago, $97 from Minneapolis, $157 from San Francisco (Oakland), $397 from Toronto ($551 with no connections), $1003 from London, $177 from Detroit, and $230 from Milwaukee.