Sports

AFC holds 1st fights at Alaska Airlines Center

Fans, fighters and even officials were excited for the first Alaska Fighting Championship fights at the Alaska Airlines Center on Wednesday.

"This is nice — I'm going to have to come to a Seawolves basketball game," one official told another in front of the locker rooms ahead of Wednesday's fights.

"This is my first time in this place."

After 13 years at Sullivan Arena, the AFC moved to its new venue for AFC 133.

AFC owner Sarah Lorimer said the Alaska Airlines Center, which hosts UAA basketball, volleyball and gymnastics as well as some high school state events and concerts, allows the fans to be closer to the action in the cage.

Middleweight winner Jared "Five Point" Foust said he could feel the difference on Wednesday.

"The atmosphere is a little more condensed here, you can hear the crowd a little bit better," said Foust, who won the night's second fight when Douglas McFresh tapped out two minutes into the first round.

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"It feels fuller."

The new venue didn't come without a couple hiccups, though. Technical troubles delayed the first fight about 20 minutes and the entrance music didn't play for the first fighter, Thomas Ramirez, so the announcer improvised by singing and beatboxing the Rocky Balboa theme song.

"It's like we're in someone else's car and we don't know where all the buttons are yet," he told the crowd.

But once the fights got going, it was smooth sailing. An estimated 1,200 fans showed up for the fights, some yelling "Use your elbow," and others: "Finish him."

Brian Mejia, a contractor from Las Vegas, enjoyed the proximity to the cage.

"Even if you're sitting in the stands, you're not that far away from the action," he said. "I've been to UFC events where they're so far away that you don't really get to see anything in detail."

Lorimer said the biggest draw to the Alaska Airlines Center is its technology. The AFC has a five-year deal to stream fights on UFC Fight Pass, so new technology means new perks for fans, she said.

"You see ribbon banners, big time clocks available, fight replays are gonna be accessible," she said. "Sullivan was good to me for 13 years and it was just time for an upgrade."

Stephan Wiebe

Stephan Wiebe writes about all things Alaska sports.

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