Cavanaugh’s Rittenhouse Sports Bar
Address
1823 Sansom St.
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Get Directions
Phone: 215.665.9500
Website: cavsrittenhouse.com
Hours: Daily – 11:30 a.m. to 2 a.m.
In addition to being one of the more reasonably priced bars in Rittenhouse, this Cavanaugh’s location regularly shows UFC fights on PPV. With frequent special events running in conjunction with the matches, the drink specials may change, but the cover is usually free or $5 for the night. In the past, attendees have been treated to $5 Cazadores tequila, a half-priced pub menu and $3.50 Miller Lites for the duration of the fight. One thing is for sure, though – at this sports bar, there are enough high definition televisions to make it impossible to avoid watching the fight or any live sports game.
Fox & Hound Smokehouse & Tavern
address
1501 Spruce St.
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Get Directions
Phone: 215.732.8610
Website: foxandhound.com
Hours: Daily – 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.
You can count on Fox & Hound to always have the game on, no matter what game you’re looking for, and fight night is no different. With a reasonable cover during UFC matches and plenty of space, this giant sports bar is ideal for grabbing a drink and watching a PPV fight that would normally run you $50. Despite the place attracting quite a crowd to watch sports events live, it won’t be hard to find a good vantage point when there are 21 HDTVs! The wait for food makes Fox & Hound preferable as a sports bar on game days, but on top of an impressive beer list, there are always drink specials during fights.
Xfinity Live!
address
1100 Pattison Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19148
Get Directions
Phone: 267.534.4264
Website: xfinitylive.com
Hours: Daily – 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.
Xfinity Live! is a dining and entertainment complex located at the corner of 11th and Pattison Avenue, in the South Philadelphia Sports Complex. The space includes six main venues: Broad Street Bullies Pub, PBR Bar & Grill (Professional Bull Riders), Philly MarketPlace, Spectrum Grill, Victory Beer Hall and NBC Sports Arena. Featuring a 32-foot-diagonal high-definition LED screen in the venue’s NBC Sports Arena, XFINITY Live! is able to give Philly’s UFC fans an unparalleled sports viewing experience.
Miller’s Philadelphia Ale House
address
9495 East Roosevelt Blvd.
Philadelphia, PA 19114
Get Directions
Phone: 215-464-8349
Website: millersalehouse.com
Hours: Daily 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.
Round up all of your fellow MMA-loving friends and head to the Philadelphia Ale House, the perfect spot for large crowds looking to catch a UFC fight. The bar boasts more than 60 TVs, all in high definition, in a surprisingly comfy and homey atmosphere for such a large bar. Just be sure to call before heading out to confirm that the Ale House will be showing your fight of choice. If you happen to visit on an on-fight night, you won’t want for lack of good sports viewing. Any seat is the best seat in the house to catch an Eagles, Flyers or Phillies game
History of UFC
Ultimate Fighting Championship, better known as UFC, is the world’s premier Mixed Martial Arts organization. UFC was originally conceived as a series of no-rules “style versus style” fights. Fighters from different backgrounds would be matched against each other, so you’d see karate veterans against grapplers, street fighters against amateur wrestlers, and other such oddball matchups.
While the UFC enjoyed some early success, the extreme violence and utter lack of rules, regulations, or oversight caused significant problems. No State Athletic Commission would sanction UFC bouts, and Pay Per View carriers were increasingly reticent to air UFC shows. Struggling under the weight of these issues, the original ownership group sold the company to Zuffa, backed by casino magnates Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta. The Fertitta Brothers quickly installed Dana White, a former agent and manager for boxers and MMA fighters, as company president.
Under White, UFC quickly began changing their format, implementing the set of rules we know today in order to secure sanctioning from State Athletic Commissions. As UFC moved from Indian reservations to the Vegas strip, they quickly found themselves back on Pay Per View, riding the strength of stars like Randy Couture, Tito Ortiz, and Chuck Liddell. While UFC had come a long way from it’s tough-man roots, it was still a long way from being mainstream.
All of that changed with the advent of The Ultimate Fighter, UFC’s ground-breaking reality show on Spike TV. In the show’s finale, Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar engaged in one of the sport’s most legendary fights, live on cable TV. The sport’s popularity soared overnight, and the UFC moved further into the national consciousness. Since then, UFC has absorbed many of their top competitors, including PRIDE FC, to cement themselves as the undisputed worldwide leader in Mixed Martial Arts.
Now, UFC has firmly entrenched itself as a mainstream sport. They have an exclusive gear deal with Reebok, one of the world’s largest athletics companies, and routinely air shows on network television as well as Fight Pass, their subscription-based online streaming service. UFC Pay Per Views are shown all over the world, and the roster represents the company’s global appeal. The best fighters from all over the world compete against each other across eight weight classes and two women’s weight classes. UFC’s top stars have become some of the sports world’s most notable celebrities, including Jon “Bones” Jones, Anderson Silva, and “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey, who starred in Hollywood blockbuster The Expendables 3.
Top UFC Fighters
Jon Jones (UFC, 24-1,1 NC)
The current and two-time undisputed UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. Jones also held the interim UFC Light Heavyweight Championship once, thus making him a three-time UFC champion overall. Jones is also the youngest champion in UFC history, winning his first UFC world championship at age 23. Jones is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional fighters of all-time.
Daniel Cormier (UFC, 21-1, 1 NC)
A mixed martial artist and former Olympic wrestler he is the reigning champion of the heavyweight divsion. As of March 4, 2019, he is the #1 ranked pound-for-pound and #1 Heavyweight fighter in the UFC. Cormier is the second of three fighters in UFC history to hold titles in two weight classes simultaneously, and the first and only fighter ever to defend titles in two weight classes, which he did whilst holding both titles. Prior to the UFC, Cormier was Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Champion and King of the Cage Heavyweight Champion. He holds the distinction of having won a world championship belt in every promotion for which he has fought.
Khabib Nurmagomedov (UFC, 27-0)
Nurmagomedov is a two-time Combat Sambo World Champion and the reigning undisputed UFC Lightweight Champion. He currently holds the longest undefeated streak in MMA, with 27 wins, and remains undefeated in professional MMA. Hailing from Russia’s Dagestan region, he is the first Russian and the first Muslim to win a UFC title.
Max Holloway (UFC, 20-3)
Max Holloway is an American mixed martial artist competing in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) where he is the undisputed UFC Featherweight Champion. As of December 12, 2018, he is #4 in official UFC pound-for-pound rankings.
Demetrious Johnson (One, 27-3-1)
Currently signed to ONE Championship, in which he competes in the men’s flyweight division. He is the inaugural and former UFC Flyweight Champion and currently holds the UFC record for most consecutive title defenses with 11. Known for his quick striking and elusive movement, Johnson has also landed the most takedowns in UFC flyweight history and is also the only UFC fighter to record over 10 takedowns in three different fights.
Henry Cejudo (UFC, 14-2)
Cejudo an MMA fighter of Mexican descent, he currently competes in the men’s Flyweight division and is the reigning champion. As a freestyle wrestler, Cejudo is an Olympic gold medalist. As of January 28, 2019, he is #5 in official UFC pound-for-pound rankings.
Tony Ferguson (UFC, 26-3)
A former interim UFC Lightweight Champion and the record-holder for most consecutive wins in UFC lightweight history (with 11), Ferguson is widely regarded by pundits as one of the best lightweights in the history of the UFC. As of October 31, 2018, he is ranked as the number one contender in the official UFC lightweight rankings. As of March 4, 2019, he is #12 in official UFC pound-for-pound rankings.
Amanda Nunes (UFC, 17-4)
Brazilian mixed martial artist who currently fights for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) where she is the reigning champion in both the women’s Bantamweight and Featherweight divisions. She is the first woman in UFC history to become a two-division champion, in addition to also being the first and only woman in UFC history to hold two titles simultaneously. As of March 4, 2019, she is #6 in official UFC pound-for-pound rankings.
Conor Mcgregor (UFC, 21-4)
Irish professional mixed martial artist and boxer. He is the former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) featherweight and lightweight champion. McGregor is the biggest pay-per-view (PPV) draw in MMA history, having headlined four out of the six highest-selling UFC pay-per-view events. His headline bout with Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 drew 2.4 million PPV buys, the most ever for an MMA event. His boxing match with Mayweather drew 4.3 million PPV buys in North America, the second most in history. As of March 19, 2019, he is #9 in official UFC pound-for-pound rankings.
Wow! Did you see the Eagles game? They really handed it to the Redskins didn’t they. That touchdown pass by Carson Wentz was awesome! The NFC showdown is going to be epic.