UFC

UFC, (The Ultimate Fighting Championship) is a global phenomenon, which held 41 events worldwide in 2017 including in Australia, Brazil, Canada and, of course, Scotland!

Glasgow’s sporting heritage put the city on UFC’s radar, but it took the opening of The OVO Hydro in 2013 to tip the balance in Scotland’s favour.

“UFC is the world’s fastest growing sport, so we were delighted to finally be able to meet their capacity criteria when The OVO Hydro opened. The Hydro’s Amphitheatre design is perfect for the famous UFC Octagon & the Glasgow audience provide a very special atmosphere" commented SEC Business Development Manager, Julie McKinnon.

The OVO Hydro first hosted UFC in July 2015 and all 10,500 tickets for the Glasgow event were snapped up in just 45 minutes. Fans from all over the world were spoiled with incredible fights including Glasgow’s own Robert Whiteford & Joanne Calderwood.

Everyone had ringside seats

Huge jumbotron screens ensured everyone in the venue had ringside seats while the event was also broadcast to over 1 billion households worldwide.

The Weigh-In took place in The OVO Hydro on the eve of the competition in front of an audience of 3,000 and the marathon competition featuring 24 competitors in 12 fights the following day was described as fierce.

Ariel Helwani, one of the world’s most prominent mixed martial arts (MMA) commentators, crowned The Hydro audience ‘Crowd of the Year’ in his ‘Best of 2015’ awards.

“Bringing a UFC event to Scotland, and specifically the SEE Hydro in Glasgow, was a no brainer for us. The venue is perfect for creating a great atmosphere and thus providing our fans with an incredible experience”

The event was hailed as a huge success by UFC

Scottish fans & The OVO Hydro look forward to welcoming UFC back to Glasgow soon!