UFC 200 has grown so big that a single fight card can’t contain it.
The world’s dominant mixed martial arts promotion is throwing an anniversary party for itself in Las Vegas, staging several days of events collectively dubbed International Fight Week. The UFC is putting on shows on three consecutive nights, along with innumerable accompanying fan activities and entertainments, including everything from a massive fan expo to a 5K run.
It all culminates Saturday night in UFC 200, which has one of the most stacked fight cards in the promotion’s history.
Sure, it’s not technically the UFC’s 200th actual pay-per-view show, since it has been forced to cancel two numbered events. But with a recent run of success inside and outside the cage, along with widespread rumors of the entire promotion’s impending sale for multiple billions, the UFC brass clearly feels the numerical milestone is a great time to celebrate.
“It’s pretty cool to be involved in something like this,” said Jon Jones, whose rematch with Daniel Cormier for the light heavyweight title caps the entire week. “You know it’s a historic week for the UFC, and they’ve come a long way to get to this point.”