![POSTER](/assets/images/blog/2022/07/28/00-cover.jpg)

Last weekend was the greatest weekend of my life. I spent last weekend with my amazing son Callum and I took him to 
London to watch UFC live at the O2 arena. 

Me and Callum love UFC, we've been watching it together for years! For his upcoming 16th birthday I couldn't think of 
anything better than to get tickets for the UFC and it must have been meant to be because UFC had just been to the O2 
arena in London just a couple of months ago. Never (that I can remember) has Dana White enjoyed a venue so much that 
he changes his plans for the UFC and comes back to the same place twice in a couple of months but that's what happened 
here and it wasn't the end of our good fortune.

Everything and I mean everything was perfect this weekend. The stars definitely aligned and nothing could 
have made this weekend any better. From start to finish everything just ran exactly as we'd hoped. Although we weren't sure on the 
Friday morning when we were getting ready to leave. After the "climate emergency" that lasted a whole 2 days earlier in 
the week it was now raining and looking at the schedules it was very much business as usual in the weather department. 

So we got a taxi to the train station had quick coffee and pint and boarded our train. We sat down at our table seat and
soon realised we had an almost completely empty carriage to enjoy a calm ride down to London. As luck would have it 
minutes after we sat down on the train another event we like One Championship was just starting. So we watched some live
Muay Thai, Kickboxing and MMA from Manchester to London. What a start to the weekend.   

By the time we stepped off the train in London the sun was shining and it was sweltering 
hot. The first thing I wanted to do was get changed into my shorts! So we strolled down to the hotel, checked in, got 
changed and ventured out to explore.

We headed back to the O2 arena to get some pictures in-front of the famous big Red UFC letters. 

![UFC](/assets/images/blog/2022/07/28/01-ufc.jpg)

With that out of the way next thing we needed was some UFC hats. 

![Hats](/assets/images/blog/2022/07/28/02-hats.jpg)

Next stop FOOD. We had a quick look around the arena to see what was on offer and spotted Gordon Ramsey Street Burger so in we went.
This place is great we loved it. The service was awesome and considering it was just burger and chips it was next level
burger and chips. The first thing Callum said to me was "this place is worth it for the chips alone", and it really was.

![Food](/assets/images/blog/2022/07/28/03-food.jpg)

Whilst we were eating and wondering what we should do next we remembered seeing the 
[Emirates Air Line Cable Cars](https://visitlondon.com/things-to-do/place/25549367-emirates-air-line-cable-car) and we
decided we should head back and give it a ride to get some pics whilst it was still light outside. Everything looks a 
lot smaller from up here. 

![AirLine](/assets/images/blog/2022/07/28/04-airline.jpg)

Once we had finished on the cable cars we headed back to the O2 once again to a great little place called 
[Boom Battle Bar](https://www.theo2.co.uk/do-more-at-the-o2/boom-battle-bar). This place is great it has axe throwing, 
American Pool, Digital Darts, Crazier Golf, all sorts of stuff. We went in because I spotted the Pool tables and Callum 
said to me that he'd only ever played Pool with me in VR! 

![Pool](/assets/images/blog/2022/07/28/05-pool.jpg)

He actually won the first 2 games. I potted the Black almost immediately on the first game and I think I potted the White
and the Black at the same time on the 2nd game. I won the next 3 though to save some face. 

Once we left the bar we headed back to the hotel. I'd brought my laptop with me and loaded it up with movies so we 
watched Man on Fire and had some hotel beers. There may have been some tears at this point.

The next morning we loaded up on a big hotel breakfast and then headed straight back out towards the arena to see what 
we could do before the event started. We tried to do a few tourist-ey things including walking over a bridge on the roof
of the O2 arena and the other drink at the tables in the sky, but sadly and to our complete shock they were fully booked!
So instead we stayed at ground level and chilled in the sun in the garden bar next to the arena and had a couple beers.

Later we went for a walk and the two parties that were enjoying food and drinks at the 
[London in the Sky](https://londoninthesky.co.uk/) bar were arguing and shouting at each other across tables. We're 
pretty sure it was football rivalry but whatever it was, it was hilarious. 

![Sky](/assets/images/blog/2022/07/28/06-sky.jpg)

Later on we were hungry again so I said to Callum let's go Gaucho for a fancy Steak & Chips before the event starts.
Just look at it.

![Steak](/assets/images/blog/2022/07/28/07-steak.jpg)

We didn't rush ourselves in here. Nice glass of Red with the Steak and a beer to wash it all down. Then it was finally
time to go to the UFC!

Just look at our excited little faces. 

![Faces](/assets/images/blog/2022/07/28/08-faces.jpg)

We were finally here. After all these years there was the Octogon right in front of us.

![Arena](/assets/images/blog/2022/07/28/09-arena.jpg)

From the get-go the legendary Bruce Buffer had the crowd in the palm of his hands. It's really something special watching
him work a crowd. We always knew he was a fan favourite but the connection that he has with the crowd is extraordinary.
I have a video of him delivering his lines during the main event fight and I am not exaggerating when I say it felt 
like every single person in that arena was shouting his lines with him. It was epic. 

Being in the arena at an actual UFC event so much better than I had ever even thought it would be. I've been to other 
cage fighting promotions in the past but nothing compares to the juggernaut that is the UFC. This is just so much bigger.
The vibe in the arena is amazing, a complete party atmosphere. Considering the amount of alcohol being consumed and the 
fact that everybody in the arena clearly has a penchant for violence it is pretty amazing to realise we 
didn't see a single bit of trouble the entire weekend. Everybody was just drinking and singing and enjoying the event. 
You can honestly see more trouble in Piccadilly Gardens any given day.

I think my big take away from the event was I never realised quite how involved the crowd was with everything. You've 
probably heard the saying in football "be the 12 man" and I've been to plenty of football games being a season ticket 
holder at Manchester United for many years but inside the O2 arena last weekend it really felt like the crowd was 
connected to the fighters in a way I've never experienced before. 

As soon as the walkout music came on the crowd would just go wild. Usually for the UK fighter in each fight, Meatball 
Molly's walkout was legendary as was Paddy the Baddy's but honestly American fighter Chris Curtis might have had the best 
walkout moment of the night with Sweet Caroline! Again not a person in attendance that wasn't singing and dancing to this
including Bruce Buffer! 

It was so good it's honestly going to be difficult to accept that we can't be there every weekend and I'm going to have
to go back to watching it on TV or in VR again. If you ever get the chance to go to a UFC event I strongly encourage you
to go. I've never been to a better event in my life.

The only letdown the entire weekend was obviously the main event. Callum and I were super hyped for months to watch Tom
Aspinal fight in real life. He's has such a great journey so far with some very impressive wins over tough opponents, he
has future world champion written all over him and we're here for it! But this weekend wasn't his weekend at all. Not 15
seconds after the first round started he threw a perfect leg kick which landed but then as his foot went back down on the
matt he collapsed to the floor holding his knee. Fight over. Very deflating end to a fantastic event. I know everyone 
is wishing Tom a speedy recovery and can't wait to see him in the cage again. 

As we were leaving the arena we knew we wanted to try and snag a couple of the UFC London t-shirts that we'd been seeing
people wearing so we went to the first UFC Store stand we could find. They had a very limited number of t-shirts left 
but as luck was on our side they had a Large and a Small which is exactly what we wanted. Honestly the entire weekend 
was like this. Everything just ran smoothly. From taxi's to trains, everything like clockwork. 

![March](/assets/images/blog/2022/07/28/10-merch.jpg)

In fact talking about trains we had a notification before we left to say that our return train on the Sunday had been 
cancelled so we knew we'd be getting a different train home. So we had breakfast and went to the station. When we
were getting on the train we could see that it was extra busy because of the cancellations so I said "let's just get 
first class. I'll pay for the upgrade". So we sat in first class and nobody came the entire journey. So we got a nice 
little free upgrade and comfortable ride home to end the weekend. It was flawless it really was.

![Smiles](/assets/images/blog/2022/07/28/11-smiles.jpg)

If Carlsberg did weekends, they'd do them like this one! 

BEST WEEKEND EVER!

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