Regardless of whether or not you’re a fan of Mixed Martial Arts, or combat sports in general, you should be tuning in to the UFC’s historic pay-per-view event taking place this Saturday, and this will make your viewing experience that much better.
The actual event itself is the most stacked in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, with 12 current or former title holders set to compete. The Early Prelims begin on ESPN at 5 p.m. (CT), followed by the Prelims at 7 p.m. (CT) before the PPV Main Card begins at 9 p.m. (CT).
By the time you get to the paid portion of the evening, you’ll be invested enough (or at least drunk enough) to be talked into finding a way to keep it going and watch the Main Card, whether that be actually paying for it or finding an illegal stream online like most of us.
And this isn’t even the type of event where you need to be a hardcore fight fan to enjoy. The card is loaded with big names that even casual observers will likely recognize, and the show will likely feature celebrities and notable names from all around the world in attendance. It’s going to be the most talked about event in the world on Saturday night, so go ahead and get locked in early and use this friendly drinking game to guide your experience.
[Disclaimer: Drink responsibly. Most of these are expected to happen several times throughout the night and will likely lead to a heavy portion of sips per fight. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. So choose your beverage wisely so you don’t end up getting your stomach pumped by the end of the night.]
Drink ONCE when…
- A mid-fight sponsorship is read by Jon Anik (Ex. ‘This fight clock is brought to you by Toyo Tires)
- A celebrity/fighter is shown cage-side and makes a fist with one or more hands and holds it up
- Anyone from the commentary team uses the term ‘former champion’
- Any fighter lands a takedown… this one can be argued a bit because sometimes a guy will get dragged down and then immediately pop back up, so just use your best judgment. If you think it’s a takedown, it’s probably a takedown, but the ESPN App keeps stats in case you need to fact-check
- Any commentator says the word ‘southpaw’
Drink TWICE when…
- Blood/a cut opens up on either fighter
- Eye poke/nut shot leads to timeout OR doctor enters ring to check on cut
- Jon Anik says the name of an octagon girl shown before the start of a round
- Ref steps in and separates the fighters due to inactivity in a position
Drink THRICE when…
- Any fighter lands a knockdown (not to be confused with a takedown), meaning he hit the guy and he went to the ground to the point where he’d be ruled down in college football
- A fight goes to SPLIT or MAJORITY decision. Pay attention when the judges’ scorecards are being read. Bruce Buffer will say either unanimous, split or majority decision. Draws count here
- A fighter uses the microphone in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan to call out one specific fighter. NOT a ‘I’ll fight anyone’ or ‘I want a top five guy’. We need one specific name. If he lists off three names, that doesn’t count either.
Chug/Finish drink when…
- A fighter wins via first-round knockout OR submission.
- Doctor stops a fight, whether it be for a cut that got too deep or an actual injury.
- The UFC officially announces a date for Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler
Bonus Drinks
These are a little bit all over the place, so feel free to ignore these or take as many drinks as you see fit:
- Michael Chandler is shown getting punched in the face during a highlight package
- Kayla Harrison’s weight cut is mentioned
- Alex Pereira’s career in Glory Kickboxing is referenced
- Fighter climbs to the top of (or over) the cage after a win