After UFC staged a blasé show and got a mediocre response in SLC some six years ago, the company’s president and Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith are guaranteeing a proper spectacle this time around.
After UFC staged a blasé show and got a mediocre response in SLC some six years ago, the company’s president and Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith are guaranteeing a proper spectacle this time around.
The energetic White, playing the dual roles of showman and salesman, said it was simple: the Las Vegas-headquartered organization now takes its show on the road, and Utah’s growth warranted an event. “Salt Lake City is not a flyover city, and Utah is not a flyover state,” he said. “That’s manifesting through concert tours, that’s manifesting through events like this. It’s becoming a destination.”
They worked up a plan with the Utah Sports Commission, Smith used his relationship with Ari Emanuel to get the ball rolling, and began some conversations with the fight promotion, which is now constantly on the lookout for new places to host events. Indeed, getting the likes of Usman, one of the sport’s biggest stars, to headline the first-ever UFC pay-per-view in Utah is a significant development. Adding such household names as Jose Aldo, Merab Dvalishvili, Paulo Costa, and Luke Rockhold to the card just elevates it all the more.
“I heard we picked the wrong night last time,” White cracked, before adding he had “a laundry list” of mistakes the promotion made with that event.
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