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Thursday, Nov 05, 2020

How Las Vegas Became the Fighting Capital of the World

Some say gambling and sports go hand in hand. There is a lot of truth in this statement – there is an entire branch of the vast gambling industry built on sports. Not to mention the occasional synergies, like the many sports-inspired games at the JackpotCity online casino. Sports slots are among the most popular games there, covering every base from soccer and cricket to motorsports and fighting.

Las Vegas is perhaps the best expression of the symbiotic relationship between gambling and sports, especially disciplines that involve punches and kicks. Sin City is home to some of the highest-profile fights, both in the ring and the octagon. This was not always the case, though. In just a few decades, Vegas went from zero to not only the gambling capital of the Western world but also the undisputed mecca for fans of boxing and MMA.

From East to West

In the early days of professional boxing, the East Coast was its home. This happened in the 1920s before Vegas even became a thing. The leading destinations for the top fights were New York and Philadelphia at the time, with the Dempsey–Carpentier bout, the first million-dollar fight held in the purpose-built Thirty Acres arena taking place in Jersey City. 

The popularity of boxing continued to rise in the US. In the meantime, Las Vegas blossomed, becoming the gambling and entertainment capital of the West. It was a match made in heaven…

Boxing was introduced to Sin City in the 1950s, led by the combined pull of entertainment and gambling. Fighting fans were the ideal audience for the booming casino city, so the events became more and more spectacular – together with the resorts on the Strip.

Enter the mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts were a controversial discipline at first. After the debut UFC fight night, held in Denver, Colorado in 1993, the number of its critics exploded – many of them considered it to be way too brutal and violent. Later, in turn, the sport was regulated, evolving from its “no holds barred” origins to the one we all love today. And its popularity exploded.

It took MMA less than two decades to grow from a bunch of fringe events on pay-per-view into a multi-billion dollar business. And in the 2010s, it challenged boxing as the discipline Las Vegas is best-known for. The UFC was the headliner of MMA brands in the city, helping it solidify its reputation as the fighting capital of the world. 

The fighting capital of the world

Boxing and MMA are at their home in Las Vegas. Today, there are countless gyms training fighters, several promotions, and venues dedicated to the sport (like the UFC Apex, the promotion’s 1500-seat live events, and production center that hosted pretty much every event since this May). Vegas was home to some of the highest-profile MMA fights, like the Nurmagomedov vs. Mcgregor fight in 2018 or the McGregor vs. Cerrone bout this January, along with the biggest boxing events, not to mention crossovers like the famous Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor fight in 2017, held at the T-Mobile Arena. 

posted by FCF Staff @ 3:34 pm
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