So, the other day, I got this itch to watch the latest UFC fight, right? Not just any fight, but UFC 297: Strickland vs Du Plessis. It was a Saturday night, January 20th, and I didn’t want to just stream it at home. I wanted the whole experience, you know? Big screen, loud crowd, the works.
First, I checked out where this thing was even happening – Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. Cool, but not exactly helpful since I’m not in Canada. So, I started digging around. I remembered someone mentioning that some movie theaters show these fights now.
I hit up Google, typed in something like “UFC fight movie theater near me”. Found a couple of sites. One was Fandango, which I’ve used before for movie tickets. They actually had listings for UFC fights! Turns out, it was the first time UFC was doing this whole movie theater thing. Pretty neat.
Next, I used the “Locate Me” button on another site, *, and also tried putting in my zip code to see what was playing around here. Spotted a few theaters that were showing the fight, which was awesome.
I also read that the main card was gonna be on at 10 p.m. ET, with the prelims starting at 7 p.m. ET. Perfect timing for a night out. And apparently, you gotta have an active ESPN+ subscription to even buy these things, which I didn’t know before. Good thing I already had one. They were charging $79.99 for the event, not cheap, but I figured it’s worth it for the experience.
I ended up going to an AMC theater near me. They were showing UFC 268: Usman vs. Covington 2 there a while back, so I figured they’d have this one too. I bought my ticket online, double rewards with Fandango, score! Grabbed some popcorn and a hotdog at the theater, because why not?
The whole thing was pretty wild. Watching the fight on the big screen with a bunch of other hyped-up fans was way better than just sitting on my couch. It was a full house, with everyone cheering and reacting to every hit. Made the whole night way more memorable.
Here’s a quick rundown of what I did:
- Figured out the fight details: UFC 297, date, location, etc.
- Searched online for movie theaters showing UFC fights.
- Used location services and zip code searches to find nearby theaters.
- Checked showtimes and the ESPN+ subscription requirement.
- Bought my ticket online through Fandango.
- Headed to the theater, got some snacks, and enjoyed the fight!
Honestly, it was a blast. If you’re a UFC fan and haven’t tried this yet, I definitely recommend checking it out. It’s a whole different way to experience the fights. Just be prepared to shell out a bit more cash than usual, and maybe bring some earplugs – it gets loud!
