The UFC is coming to New Orleans, and the Crescent City may have already cemented itself as a go-to destination for the combat sport. The Smoothie King Center will be packed for the event and some second-hand tickets are going for over $5,300. Even the “cheap” seats will cost you upwards of $500 on the second-hand market.
Jay Cicero, President & CEO of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation, spoke to WWL’s Dave Cohen about the big event and what it means for New Orleans. “The ownership umbrella of the UFC are our new partners now,” he explained. “To create a relationship with them for not only these events but for future events is our primary goal,” Cicero went on to say.
UFC’s Dustin Poirier will be making a homecoming of sorts in coming back to New Orleans. Poirier hails from Lafayette, Louisiana and told reporters, “New Orleans, I’m coming home, baby,” when he found out he would be fighting at the event.
While Cicero admits he was hesitant about the UFC when the organization first started, watching its growth and legitimization at large has made him come around to the sport. “We certainly studied the UFC when it first started coming out. Because of the growth of this event and the exposure that comes (with being associated with the UFC) … we’ve gotten a great response from both the UFC and the media for putting New Orleans touches on this event and probably raising the bar for other cities who hope to host UFC events in the future,” Cicero told WWL’s Dave Cohen.