Contributor: Luke Irwin
On September 2, after a long and tumultuous stretch on the financial precipice, the Revel Casino in Atlantic City officially closed its doors.
The Revel was put into motion in September of 2007. It was a gigantic proposition and a massive undertaking. It was also to be the first new hotel/resort created in Atlantic City in over five years at its completion. Despite a host of problems that delayed its launch, including, but not limited to: a plane crash that killed Revel executives, the devastating financial collapse of 2008, Morgan Stanley’s withdrawal from the project, a crane collapse, and a rooftop fire, the Revel was finally opened on April 2, 2012, to the tune of 2.4 BILLION DOLLARS.
2.4 billion dollars. More than the Bellagio even after a 2011 upgrade, almost a billion more than the Venetian, 
even after renovation, even more than Steve Wynn’s Encore. In Atlantic City.
Needless to say, business floundered immediately. Between the economy, the dwindling gaming and tourist market in Atlantic City, crime in the area, Hurricane Sandy (both directly and indirectly because of mistruths), the market was crashing fast in AC.
Regardless of the casino’s business being down, the Revel was a fight destination in a city with one of the richest fight history and culture in the world, with all sports and promotions setting up shop at their 5,000-seat Ovation Hall.
Alas, the Revel is no more, and is the UFC done in Atlantic City with it?
Let’s consider the facts.
- From 2005 until 2012, the UFC did not run any cards in AC whatsoever. Boxing had a stiff foothold, with superstars like Arturo Gatti, Kelly Pavlik, Antonio Margarito, and Bernard Hopkins making Atlantic City, specifically Boardwalk Hall, their home base.
- Despite the UFC and mixed martial arts in general having the biggest boom in their history, the UFC didn’t make a stop in AC. It obviously had nothing to do with the athletic commission, as they went to the Prudential Center in Newark three times between 2007-2011 for pay-per-views.
- During that same timeframe that the UFC was vacant, there was still a vibrant MMA scene in Atlantic City. EliteXC ran there, Bellator had four events there just in 2011. Regional promotions like Cage Fury Fighting Championship and Ring of Combat were AC-born-and-bred and have grown to become two of the most powerful and influental indies in the world, producing world champions and constantly churning out other top-level talent while putting on packed cards in front of good crowds.
So combat sports, including MMA, were a very viable option in Atlantic City during the MMA boom and the years the UFC stayed away from there, so why did they?
The biggest (and possibly only) issue was just plain old logistics. The Showroom at the Tropicana, the Circus Maximus Theater at Caesar’s, and the Borgata’s Event Center all check in at less than 3,750 capacity, which, even if 100% sold out, is less than what the UFC hopes to bring in, even on Fight Night cards.
So that leaves two options.
The first, is the Trump Taj Mahal, which has hosted countless fights over the years, in many types of combat sports. Trump’s Mark G. Etess Arena can easily accomodate 6,000 seats. However, the Trump Taj Mahal is seemingly dead-man-walking and has received some, ahem, less than favorable reviews over the past few years. However, the fact that the UFC hadn’t run a show there since 2001 is a bit curious, but even the mere notion of Dana White and Donald Trump having beef is easy to comprehend, and after Trump invested in Affliction MMA in 2008, there was never a chance they’d ever go back.
So that leaves the elephant in the room: Boardwalk Hall.
Boardwalk Hall is a national treasure. Not even its sporting history, but its political, musical, and cultural history
can stand toe-to-toe with any arena in the world, and its distinctive look is one of the most recognizable and beautiful of any arenas.
So why the hell isn’t the UFC putting on shows there?
It’s not like Boardwalk Hall is outdated or obsolete. Just through the end of 2014, there’s the Miss America Pageant, WWE, Bernard Hopkins vs. Sergey Kovalev, hockey, auto racing, concerts, and comedy shows. The UFC obviously thought Boardwalk Hall was a great venue, as they ran three major pay-per-views out of thirteen there in the span of 27 months from ’03-’05.
So what changed?
Well, the timing is interesting.
The last UFC PPV in Atlantic City was UFC 53, which took place on June 4, 2005. The Ultimate Fighter Finale, the original one, and thus, according to most in the industry, and Dana White himself, the turning point of the entire history of the UFC, took place April 9th of that year. Obviously, the Boardwalk Hall show would have been booked before the TUF finale aired, and the official “boom” began. So, with that said, take a look at the location of the next year and a half of events.
Suffice it to say, not unlike Gollum, they had found the precious and wanted to keep it as close to their body as possible. Their business strategy was to dip their toe in expansion while having the safety net of Vegas. For them, Atlantic City was seemingly yesterday’s news.
However, in early 2011, there were talks to bring the UFC back to AC. Marc Ratner, the UFC’s Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, said that “Atlantic City is definitely on our radar” and that “one of my favorite arenas in the world is Boardwalk Hall.” I’m sure it was just a coincidence that those quotes by Ratner were published on March 20, 2011, and governor Chris Christie announced on February 1 that the Revel had secured financing.
If you were the cynical type, like me, you could say that Marc Ratner, and the UFC, were using both Boardwalk Hall and Revel against each other to raise bidding wars for the UFC’s services. Judging by the fact that the UFC went to the Revel twice, you can guess how that ended up.
So where does that leave us?
The UFC has the rest of 2014 booked out, and with the exception of Nova Scotia, they’re not crossing the Mississippi this year. As far as 2015 goes, they have two dates in Las Vegas and two in Europe. Meanwhile, Boardwalk Hall continues to host bigtime boxing, and is scheduled for a gigantic Light Heavyweight bout between Bernard Hopkins and Sergey Kovalev.
Atlantic City has too much history, too much fight culture, has too good of a location, and has too good fight infrastructure to die. The Revel and The Taj are going down, but AC will still thrive in the fight game. As far as the UFC goes, if they still keep their bizarre aversion to Boardwalk Hall, I think the UFC is done in Atlantic City forever. Unless the UFC runs smaller shows, there are no arenas that can hold what the UFC wants to. If a casino that could accommodate the UFC broke ground today, it would still take a minimum of three or four years to be complete, and who knows where the state of MMA or the UFC will be by then?
The UFC may be finished in Atlantic City, but shed no tear, there’s never been a better time to latch on to new combat sports. Boxing is thriving, Metamoris has brought Jiu Jitsu to a giant audience, Muay Thai cards are springing up all over the country, and Glory has taken kickboxing from Europe and brought it to the States on national television. The UFC may be done in Atlantic City, but Atlantic City is still throwing.
-Luke can be reached @BVandDietPepsi or at lirwin33@gmail.com