The Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to Boston this week for its first event at the TD Garden in two years.
UFC 220, headlined by heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic’s record-setting title defense, drew a healthy audience of 16,015 to the Garden, producing a live gate of $2.45 million.
Though that wasn’t quite enough to claim the top-grossing UFC in all their trips to Boston, it was the most-attended event ever in Bean Town, even drawing better than lightweight champion Conor McGregor‘s 2015 headlining bout.
Although many thought that Francis Ngannou’s power was going to be too much for Miocic to overcome, the champ showed his mettle in the fight.
He took a hard shot in the first round that dropped most of Ngannou’s past opponents, but Miocic had a strong game plan that avoided taking additional damage and focused on wearing the Cameroonian down. That’s exactly what Miocic did, pummeling Ngannou over the course of five full rounds, defending his belt for a UFC record-setting third time.
No other heavyweight champion in UFC history has been able to achieve such a feat.
Another fighter who has etched his name in the annals of the UFC history books is light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier. Much like Miocic being believed to be in danger of losing to Ngannou, many thought that Cormier might be toppled by Volkan Oezdemir in Boston.
Also much like Miocic, Cormier dominated his challenger, although he was able to finish Oezdemir in the second frame.
