UFC 169 Will Move to Sunday if Severe Weather Shifts Super Bowl to Saturday
There's been speculation that severe weather could force a change in this year’s Super Bowl date and time, and that, in turn, would affect UFC 169’s schedule. The Ultimate Fighting Championship has no plans to go head-to-head with the Super Bowl.
“If 120 million people are watching the Super Bowl on Saturday… let's just hope that doesn't happen,” said UFC president Dana White during the UFC on Fox 10 pre-fight press conference on Thursday. “I'll move my fight to Monday.”
White was serious about moving the UFC 169 date if the Super Bowl moves to Saturday, but it will not be moved to Monday. The biggest football game of the year is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 2. In the event that the Super Bowl is changed to Saturday, UFC has a contingency plan to move UFC 169, scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 1, to Sunday.
UFC officials revealed the plans during the UFC on Fox 10 post-fight press conference in Chicago on Saturday.
“We're keeping an eye on what happens with the Super Bowl in the event of bad weather. We're coming up with a contingency plan as a result. If and only if they move the Super Bowl to Saturday, we will move UFC 169 to Sunday,” said Dave Sholler, UFC Senior Director of Public Relations.
“It obviously requires a lot of coordination with the venue, the fighters, and our TV production crews around the world. So, again, we will be monitoring the situation closely. We will only make the change should the Super Bowl move.”
UFC 169: Barao vs. Faber II takes place at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The Super Bowl is scheduled to take place at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. The most recent forecast for East Rutherford on Feb. 2 is a light wintery mix with highs reaching 37 and a low of 27. The chance of precipitation is 60 percent.
For now, neither sporting event has changed from its original schedule, and the Super Bowl will only be moved if there is severe weather.
