The big featherweight title unification fight between champion Jose Aldo and interim titleholder Conor McGregor will likely take place in the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the Dallas Cowboys. Yahoo Sports reported the news today.
McGregor beat Chad Mendes for the interim belt last Saturday at UFC 189. He was originally slated to face Aldo, who injured his rib only two weeks before the fight. European fans and McGregor aficionados were instantly hoping for the unification bout to take place in Dublin’s Croke Park Stadium, a huge soccer venue in Ireland. Aldo has already assured that he would have no problem fighting in the Irish lion’s den. But UFC president Dana White immediately shattered those hopes at the UFC 189 post-fight presser, when he explained that the fight will take place in the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
According to Yahoo Sports, the reason to move the fight to Texas nevertheless, was an Andrea Bocelli concert, already booked for December 5, the same date as UFC 194. The Mandalay Bay Events Centre has been a first option, but was considered too small with only up to 12,000 seats. McGregor’s fight versus Mendes at UFC 189 packed more than 16,000 into the MGM Grand. The AT&T stadium can hold up to 100,000 spectators, depending on the setup and configuration. Boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao managed to draw an average of 45,000 viewers into the venue in two matches in 2010.
The AT&T Stadium is not a done deal, yet, but has the potential to be the biggest fight in UFC history and even exceed UFC 129 in Toronto, where 55,000 people witnessed Georges St-Pierre defend his belt against Jake Shields in the Rogers Centre.
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