The UFC could also be making ready to take its subsequent massive occasion to one of the crucial recognizable landmarks in america.
Following the big success of UFC Freedom 250 on the White Home earlier this yr, hypothesis is rising that UFC CEO Dana White may very well be contemplating Mount Rushmore in South Dakota as the situation for the promotion’s subsequent unconventional mega-event.
The concept gained critical consideration after White was not too long ago requested about the potential of staging an occasion at Mount Rushmore. Somewhat than dismissing the suggestion, White smiled and responded that he loves the world and continuously visits close by Sturgis.
That transient response was sufficient to ship MMA followers right into a frenzy.
From the Sphere to the White Home to Mount Rushmore?
The UFC has more and more embraced spectacular venues for main occasions.
UFC 306 at Las Vegas’ Sphere demonstrated the promotion’s willingness to construct an occasion round a venue moderately than merely place an Octagon inside a conventional enviornment. That was adopted by UFC Freedom 250, which remodeled the South Garden of the White Home into a short lived combat venue as a part of the nation’s 250th birthday celebrations.
White has repeatedly described the White Home occasion as a once-in-a-lifetime manufacturing and stated it might not be repeated.
Nevertheless, he has additionally made it clear that the UFC isn’t completed experimenting with extraordinary areas.
In August, White revealed that UFC govt producer Craig Borsari had proposed one other formidable idea. White stated he beloved the thought however nonetheless wanted to do extra groundwork earlier than figuring out whether or not it might turn into actuality.
Now, Mount Rushmore has emerged as one of many main potentialities.
A UFC occasion with the Presidents wanting over the Octagon
Few areas would offer a extra dramatic backdrop.
Think about the Octagon positioned within the Black Hills of South Dakota, with the huge faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln towering above the fighters.
It will immediately create one of the crucial recognizable pictures in UFC historical past.
The idea additionally matches White’s obvious want to create occasions which are about extra than simply the fights. A Mount Rushmore card might mix MMA with American historical past, tourism and leisure in a method that will make the occasion interesting even to individuals who don’t usually watch UFC.
Sportsbooks have already joined the hypothesis. Latest odds reportedly listed Mount Rushmore among the many main candidates for the UFC’s mysterious 2027 mega-event, with the landmark listed at 4/1.
In fact, betting odds aren’t affirmation that the UFC is definitely planning an occasion there.
The logistics could be huge
Turning the thought into actuality, nevertheless, could be significantly extra difficult than merely constructing an Octagon.
Mount Rushmore is a nationwide memorial and an especially delicate historic website. The UFC must navigate federal rules, environmental issues, safety, transportation, crowd administration, broadcasting necessities and the bodily limitations of the encompassing terrain.
There would even be questions on what number of spectators might realistically attend an occasion at or close to the monument.
These challenges might make a conventional stadium-style occasion inconceivable.
However that doesn’t essentially imply the thought is lifeless.
The UFC might doubtlessly assemble a limited-capacity venue within the surrounding space, utilizing Mount Rushmore because the visible centerpiece moderately than inserting the Octagon immediately in entrance of the monument.
May Sturgis be a part of the plan?
White’s feedback about Sturgis may additionally be vital.
The annual Sturgis Motorbike Rally attracts a whole lot of 1000’s of bike fanatics to South Dakota, and Mount Rushmore is likely one of the area’s hottest points of interest.
A UFC occasion timed across the rally might doubtlessly create an unlimited sports-and-entertainment weekend.
For a promoter like White, who has lengthy embraced the spectacle surrounding fight sports activities, the mix of UFC + Mount Rushmore + Sturgis could be troublesome to disregard.
Curiously, White has beforehand visited the world for his UFC-related tv sequence Dana White: Lookin’ for a Combat, which featured a visit to Mount Rushmore and the Sturgis Motorbike Rally.
Nothing is official — but
For now, followers ought to pump the brakes.
There was no official UFC announcement confirming a Mount Rushmore occasion, and White has not publicly dedicated to the situation.
What’s confirmed is that the UFC is exploring one other main occasion after the success of its current unconventional productions. Mount Rushmore has now entered the dialog, and White’s response has solely added gas to the hypothesis.
If the UFC can one way or the other pull it off, nevertheless, it might produce one other unforgettable picture: fighters battling contained in the Octagon whereas 4 American presidents look down from the mountain.
After the Sphere and the White Home, maybe Mount Rushmore actually is the UFC’s subsequent inconceivable occasion.
