Fight Night! MMA Comes To San Pedro Belize

Though I know it exists and I know it is wildly popular…I have never ever seen a UFC fight or an MMA fight.

Fighting?  It’s not my thing.  Randy “Macho Man” Savage and Hulk Hogan are the last fighters to appear on my radar screen.  Probably the late 80s, when my little brother was way bigger than me and lorded over the remote control.

Plus, it was more about the flair…and the show than about blood and punches.  Look how cool Randy was…

But when it was announced that MMA was coming to San Pedro, I first had to google MMA.  It’s Mixed Martial Arts and an uber-popular offshoot of UFC.

And UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) is HUGE.  The brand/business sold just a few years ago for $4 billion US dollars.  FOUR BILLION.

And in the late 90s, John McCain lobbied to make it illegal.  Calling it “human cockfighting”.

I dunno…it’s interesting.  And I knew it would be a big deal.  Especially since it was Mexico vs Belize, it was the first fight on the island of this kind and there would be local fighters involved.

So I bought a VIP ticket and drove to town at night.  (Something I do about twice a year)

Saca Chispas…the Old Football field on Back Street.  I decided NOT to use the VIP distinction – for fear of getting blood or spit on myself – those seats are CLOSE.  The refs had rubber gloves on!

And watched guys – mostly very nervous looking young guys – go into a chain link octogen and…kick and punch and roll around on the floor.

First…some quick tips for enjoying MMA in San Pedro.

Don’t get there too early.  8pm start time actually meant about 9:15pm.  And there were 9 fights in all!  This is going to be a long night…

Getting a seat closer IS better since a decent amount of the matches happen on the floor…and when the crowd stands, it can be really hard to see.

This is not for everyone.  I don’t think it’s for me.  If watching someone get punched in the face makes you excited, this is for you.

Here are the pictures.

The first fight went to Belize!

It was nearing midnight.  MIDNIGHT!  But I was there to see Bryce fight.  Match #7.  He was up…

So far, Belize was 1 win, 5 loses…

And he…WINS!  The crowd was going nuts and…I snuck out.  WAY past my “turn into a pumpkin” time.

I don’t know if I’d go again but it was EXTREMELY well attended and the music and Eiden’s announcing were awesome…

Exciting Saturday night in San Pedro.