Jacksonville, Florida - The UFC stopped by Jacksonville and had another great night.
Round three of the city's roadshow (and the second one completely sold out) was packed to the brim with the massive VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena from Saturday night through Sunday morning and ended with a raucous fury.
Two title wins and the Fight of the Year contender blew things up at UFC 273, which ended just after 1:30 a.m. PT. M. Sunday. The arena sold out again, says UFC president Dana White, running 14,605 and earning $3.55 million in gate fees.
"Jacksonville means a lot to me. That's why I've been here so many times. I told them [I'm going back]. The mayor is here, great. Governor [Ron DeSantis] came here tonight for this event. It's been amazing. I love this city." ..."
Featured on the exclusive Knockout Reel - Mike Mallott Pod Mickey Gal on the bottom card - and some losers. But like last year, the main card provided enough energy to keep fans alert.
Unlike the city's last two stops - the 2020 event without an audience and UFC 261 sold out last May - this event has not been subject to pandemic restrictions.
White made Jacksonville a frequent stop on the main circuit for the promotion and isn't planning on slowing down anytime soon. White said after UFC 261 that he plans to bring several events back to Sunshine State because Florida has been proactive in trying to return to normal life during the pandemic.
Alexander Volkanovsky knocked out Korea's zombie Chan Sung-jung in the final defense of the welterweight championship and ruled out a long, eventful night in the ring. Volkanovsky dealt a crushing blow to Song Jong in the middle of the ring, sending Herb Dean up and down in the fourth round for an exclamation point at UFC 273.
Rising star Khamza Shamayev and Gilbert Burns had an epic middleweight and a contender of the year that got fans on their feet in the most exciting fight of the night.
Shamayev, an undefeated contender who drew comparisons to Khabib Nurmagomedov, beat Burns in a unanimous decision that was booed by fans. Shamayev and Burns exchanged heavy blows for most of the fight, having both finished more than once.
Shamayev shook Burns late in the first round and fired a shot at him, but Burns survived the hit and stood up. He came back in the second half and shook Chimayev several times and scored another solid run in the third when he fired three consecutive shots that shook Chimayev.
Aljamin Sterling won the Undisputed Heavyweight Championship via a disputed split decision over Peter Gunn in his first combat bout. Sterling won 48-47 over two judges and Jan 48-47 for the third.
Stirling won the tournament by disqualification when Jan illegally dropped her knee on his head while she was on the ground.
Will the UFC return next year for the fourth year in a row?
"Maybe," White said. "If you call me, I will. All you have to do is call and I'm here."
Fans came from everywhere for it.
Randy Jeon and a group of friends, who he said is number 30, came from Korea to attend the event. They were there to please the Korean zombies.
Jeon said, "So I'm here for the zombies. I'm flying at 7 p.m. M. from Korea."
Jeon and his entourage covered themselves with the Korean flag and proudly displayed the zombie banners. A few meters from the audience of Gion there was a gathering of Australian fans and zombie opponent Alexander Volkanovsky.
Eugene Rutan and a group of Australian friends a few meters away from Jeon's crew cheered. They made the trip to see Volkanovsky take Jung Chan-sung. This led to a lot of goofy talk in a cute way between Australian and Korean fans.
“I actually met Alex the Great at Sydney Airport and told him I was coming to see him fight,” Rutan said. "Then I met him Thursday night and he saw me and invited me to his bus, and he was totally shocked, but I was already there."
UFC 273 main card results
Lightweight: Marc Madsen de Vince Beschel by unanimous decision.
Strawweight: Mackenzie Dern D. Tecia Torres via split decision
Middleweight: Khamy Shamayev d. Gilbert Burns by unanimous decision.
Heavyweight Championship: Aljamin Sterling and Dr. Peter Gann by split decision.
Featherweight Championship: Alexander Volkanovski TKO 4 Chan Sung-Jung.
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