News that Super Bowl XLVIII might be moved from its usual Sunday time slot to Saturday night has turned the sports world upside down, and the UFC is not immune to that phenomenon. At the UFC on Fox 10 post-fight press conference, though, they announced their contingency plan.
Per Fox Sports’ Mike Chiappetta:
UFC says they will move UFC 169 to Sunday if the Super Bowl is moved to Saturday due to bad weather. Right now, snow is in forecast. #UFC
— Mike Chiappetta MMA (@MikeChiappetta) January 26, 2014
For those who missed it, Super Bowl XLVIII, which features a showdown of the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, may end up getting moved to Saturday due to the brutal cold that has been battering the northeast.
This story comes after Miami’s Sun Life Stadium was indefinitely denied the opportunity to host the Super Bowl…due to concerns that its lack of a roof may let rain impact games. Before you ask, no MetLife Stadium doesn’t have a roof either.
The UFC has always preferred to have their pay-per-view events on Saturday night, making this a serious departure from the MMA promotion’s norm. However, as UFC President Dana White discussed, contending directly with the Super Bowl is a seriously unwise idea.
Potentially moving to Sunday allows the promotion to maintain a weekend time slot (White initially hinted the event may be moved to Monday), while keeping it a safe distance away from interfering with football.
Of course, this may be much ado about nothing. Weather.com is predicting a wintry mix on Sunday and the NFL, as it so often does, is likely to be more willing to sacrifice the integrity of its game than inconvenience promoters.
Unless the weather prediction shifts in the direction of a blizzard (which, of course, is always possible in New Jersey), expect fight fans to be able to look forward to two title bouts, directly followed by the Big Game.
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