Dear Dana,

Us Philly faithful… we’re on edge.

The current state of Philadelphia professional sports is exciting but if the Eagles, Phillies, and Sixers implode (again) the city might burn. I’m not even kidding.

As a frustrated fanbase with a built up rabid passion, we’re going to need to take this energy out at some point.

It’s better we do it vicariously through gladiators than amongst one another… which is something we do too often in Philadelphia. Often with guns instead of fists.

Speaking of gladiators, we’ve got a few: Sean Brady, Joe Pyfer, Pat Sabatini, Andre Petroski, Bassil Hafez, Jeremiah Wells, Bill Algeo, Nursulton Ruziboev (kind of)… not to mention Paul Felder and Eddie Alvarez.

Philadelphia has become a very dangerous town. It’s time the word got out to put the guns down and pick the fists up.

*Just one of the many young Philadelphians who would benefit from some jiu jitsu in their life.*

We need to spread the word in an entertaining and attention grabbing fashion that guns are not the answer…

In the words of Space Jam’s Swackhammer:

“WE . NEED . NEW …. ATTRACTIONS !!!”

As does the UFC.

As it always will.

No matter how great the fights are, sports entertainment will always benefit from a worthy story. Tickets and PPVs will always need to be sold.

Like UFC Noche, you can continue the trend of UFC events with a bigger picture.

This time a bit less literal without the thousand-foot tall stone warriors soaring through The Sphere, but also without the massive budget that came with it… and I’d argue much more important.

Guns down. Fists up.

It’s far and away the most important message for A number of cities in the United States to hear right now.

I think there’s a way to share this message, put on an incredible main event, make a ton of money, draw in a new crowd, and be lauded for the effort across news and media organizations that previously wouldn’t have really touched the UFC.

This is the kind of event that could make an impact.

Add a feather to your cap unlike any other.

The Potential MaTCHUPS

via @mmatheory

Joe Pyfer and Sean Brady are both up and coming title contenders that could be very close to a shot at gold should they get a big win in their next bouts.

With a rabid and ultra supportive fanbase ready to show out for their guys, Patrick Sabatini, Jeremiah Wells, Andre Petroski, Bill Algeo will be ready to put on some can’t miss fights.

Add on Nursulton Ruziboev and the entire country of Uzbekistan will be there. A homecoming for Bassil “The Habbibi” Hafez would be massive and he certainly appears to be a man on a mission.

Randy “Rudeboy” Brown is an exceptionally talented fighter with local ties as well. The Jersey cats are right there too — Erin Blanchfield, Phil Hawes … I’m probably missing a few.

You can bring in local Heavyweight, Pat “The Brick” Brady to open the card if you want a Heavyweight slugfest and if Kyle “The D’Arce” Knight Daukaus keeps winning CFFC title fights you might want to get him back in the big leagues as well. Kyle’s brother, former top 10 heavyweight Chris Daukaus would likely relish another shot at the UFC.

You could stack the card with Philly and Philly-affiliated fighters alone for it to be nearly a PPV quality card, but all you need to do is add on a title fight and another big name or two and you’ve got a can’t miss Saturday night of fights.

How about February 15, 2025? It’s the date that MMA Theory proposed. It’s also numerically on point — 2/15 being Philly’s area code.

It’s also my birthday, so that would be cool.

The Ring reported that the card headlined by Jaron "Boots" Ennis vs. David Avanesyan produced a live gate of $1,188,430 on Saturday night at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Total attendance: 14,365. Solid turnout for a hometown fight without a big name opponent for Ennis.
*A primetime UFC card littered with Philly fighters and a title shot & stacked main card would sellout in a heartbeat.*

Wrinkles are good

Noche was the coolest wrinkle to a UFC card we’d seen yet.

Celebrating the history of the fight game and the spirit of a nation in a one-of-a-kind event at the world’s most spectacular new venue in Vegas was surreal.

Another wrinkle here and there certainly wouldn’t hurt.

The UFC is still far and away the king of combat sports, but it’s no longer in a league of its own. Some of the sport’s biggest draws are nowhere to be found and without McGregor the UFC’s pay-per-view buys are much less prevalent on the list below.

Ngannou vs. Jones/Aspinall would be the biggest fight since McGregor last entered the octagon but Francis is with the PFL ready to return to MMA for the first time since his last UFC fight and making millions boxing, while the golden Irish goose is getting blitzed all along the East Coast and advocating for a UFC+BKFC co-promotion. At this point, I’m more likely to have a drink with McGregor on a random Tuesday then he is to put the 8 oz gloves on.

The hype and buzz built up during the pandemic when the UFC was the only thing going and brought in a swarm of new fans has dwindled, and beyond Noche, it’s been a while since the UFC had a monster PPV and gate.

*Without McGregor the last 10 years are quiet for the UFC amongst the absolute top events.*

Philly is A Staple of the Fight Game Today; and instrumental to its history

The CFFC is unofficially (or officially?) headquartered in Philadelphia and has made a home at 2300 Arena.

The Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) is founded by Philly-area native David Feldman and they are gearing up for their biggest event yet, right here in town.

For the first time in a long while, an arena combat sports event was held in Philly with Jaron “Boots” Ennis, the reigning and consistently ducked IBF Welterweight champion made his first title defense at the Wells Fargo Center and will do the same in November.

As already mentioned, the UFC itself has a handful of fighters that grew up here or train here as part of a very tight knit team via Marquez MMA, Webb MMA, and Team Taino.

Historically speaking, Philadelphia is one of the most infamous fighting cities in the world. Smokin’ Joe Fraizer and Bernard Hopkins are two of the best boxers to ever do it. Eddie Alvarez was the first fighter to win belts in both the UFC and Bellator. The town, the people themselves are synonymous for being tough. We’ve even got the most popular fictional fighter of all-time in Rocky, and arguably the most popular present day fictional fighter in Michael B. Jordan’s Creed.

We’re well overdue for an epic combat sports event. Boots Ennis will likely bring a big name in soon, but that single title fight boxing event wouldn’t compare to a stacked UFC card.

The Big Idea

Put an intentional focus on the PR surrounding the event to put the GUNS DOWN and pick the FISTS UP.

There is an unprecedented amount of gun violence in Philadelphia.

An inordinate number of shootings and killings in our country as a whole. I’m not even going to do the research but besides war-torn countries, we’ve got to have more than any other.

WAIT… I DID THE RESEARCH.

Guess who’s number 1 and 2 in gun violence… Brazil and USA.

The two countries where MMA is most popular. This doesn’t have to be just a Philly thing. It can be national… global even.

It gets talked about every time there’s a mass shooting. Republicans and Democrats argue about background checks and accessibility to assault rifles, but nothing ever gets done. That line alone, “every time there’s a mass shooting” just shows how desensitized we are to the problem. I added this little tidbit in after I went back to edit this article.

Regardless, the true problem is not this law or that law. It’s a culture issue. There’s a full gamut of blame to be thrown around but we can certainly mention entertainment — music and movies glamorize gun violence with hammering persistence. This sort of event is probably the coolest way to combat that. That and a good movie showing the downfall of a lifestyle that involves running and gunning on the streets.

A Letter to Dana White: It’s Time For A Main Event In Philly; a One of a Kind Evening