UFC 169 will be moved to Sunday if weather moves Super Bowl XLVIII
CHICAGO – Winter weather could force the NFL to make an unprecedented decision to move the Super Bowl from Sunday to Saturday. If that happens, the UFC could follow suit and move their Super Bowl-weekend pay-per-view event.
A UFC official today announced the promotion could move UFC 169 from Saturday to Sunday if the Super Bowl is moved.
“We’re coming up with a contingency plan as a result,†Dave Sholler, the UFC’s Senior Director of Public Relations, announced following Saturday’s UFC on FOX 10 at Chicago’s United Center. “It obviously requires a lot of coordination with the venue, the fighters, and our TV production crews around the world, so we’ll be monitoring the situation very closely.â€
A severe snow storm is predicted to hit the already fridge New York area just in time for NFL’s biggest event of the year, which, at the moment, is set for Feb. 2 at Met Life Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
One day earlier and 11 miles away, UFC 169 is scheduled to take place at Newark’s Prudential Center. The event features two title fights: bantamweight champ Renan Barao rematches two-time title challenger Urijah Faber and featherweight champ Jose Aldo faces Ricardo Lamas.
By potentially moving UFC 169, the UFC is avoiding a disaster for viewership numbers. The Super Bowl is one of the most watched TV events in the country, with this past year’s broadcast drawing 108.4 million viewers.
In its 20-year history, the UFC has moved events from one location to another, and in 2013, canceled its first pay-per-view event, UFC 151. But like the NFL, the industry-leading MMA promotion would be in uncharted territory by moving the date of an event so close to its scheduled time.
Undoubtedly, both sports franchises are hoping the weather doesn’t force their hand.
