Despite considering destinations further afield, the UFC have finally decided to keep potentially the biggest fight of the year – the eagerly awaited light-heavyweight title rematch between Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson – close to home.
It was confirmed on yesterday’s special edition of ‘UFC Tonight’ on FOX Sports 1 that UFC 178 is now set for Las Vegas, although the exact venue is still undecided with both the MGM Grand and the Mandalay Bay Events Center under consideration.
A few months ago UFC president Dana White had floated the idea that they could hold the fight in a stadium in Sweden due to the level of interest in that region for their hometown hero, Gustafsson.
An ambitious plan would have seen them host the event early in the morning there in order to beam the action back live to the U.S on pay-per-view at normal viewing hours.
Later the focus shifted to Toronto, Canada instead where the first fight between the two fighters took place, and indeed at one stage the UFC announced that was where the fight was headed.
Hosting the event in Las Vegas instead should ensure a blockbuster gate, with the $5 million+ that this weekend’s UFC 175 show is reported to have raked in giving a good indication of how lucrative the UFC’s home base can be for a major event.
