Traveling to Seattle for UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs Song

A Quick Weekend Getaway to Seattle

I got a text from one of my old college roommates from out of the blue a couple weeks ago. He is a notorious MMA fan and was proposing a trip to Seattle to watch the upcoming Cejudo vs Song UFC Fight Night in February. I was intrigued. Combo that with the fact that one of our other roommates was stationed up there and getting deployed soon, and now two of the other guys are going? Guess I don't really have a choice now.

The late John McCain famously referred to the UFC as nothing better than "human cockfighting." I see it as the purest form of physical competition: one person against another in single combat. I'm not a big enough fan to go out of my way to watch every main event, much less every fight night, but this opportunity was too good to pass up. Here's a quick recap of how we spent a quick weekend in Seattle and our experience at the fight night.

The Classic Seattle Tourist Experience

I was the last of the group to arrive at SEA-TAC in the pouring rain. My friends pulled up and I unceremoniously jammed myself into a tiny Volkswagen with four other guys who were way too big to be in that car. As we drove to my buddy's place through the depressing rainscape that is the Pacific Northwest in Winter, I began to understand why this place had been the birthplace of grunge music.

My friend actually lives in Tacoma but we didn't spend much time there. After a Friday night playing darts and pool in a dingy bar, we geared up to spend the day in Seattle. I had slept horribly; my air mattress had deflated in the night and I had woken up on the floor at 4 AM, but that was not going to deter me from having a good time with some old friends.

We of course had to hit Pike's Place first. The famous Seattle Public Market was absolutely packed with tourists and locals alike. Merchant stands and storefronts sell everything from seafood and wine to souvenirs and candles. The place is an absolute maze but there are so many cool vendors and different things to see. There's also a couple restaurants where you can enjoy some seafood with a nice view of the water - just be prepared to wait in line. The entire area around the market itself is filled with neat shops and food spots, like Hellenika Cultured Creamery and the Original Starbucks. One of my friends said it felt like he was in a medieval market, and while Pike's Place looks in no way like a medieval marketplace the sentiment is 100% there.

One of my friends and I ventured off from the group and accidentally ended up in a little brewery by the end of the market. Pike Brewing has an awesome set up over there, incorporating a vintage vibe alongside the general chaos of Pike's Place. If I remember correctly I had the pilsner and it was great. There were definitely less people in this part of the market (maybe because it was 2 PM) so it was a nice respite before we left for our next stop.

Come As You Are: The Museum of Pop Culture

The other place of note we visited before heading to the UFC Fight Night was the Museum of Pop Culture. Located conveniently next to Climate Pledge Arena, the UFC venue, this was an easy stop to make. I had been wanting to go here to see the Nirvana exhibit specifically, but I was surprised at how cool the rest of the museum was and how much movie memorabilia they had in on display.

The Nirvana exhibit was perfectly executed, featuring clothes, instruments, and other items from the groundbreaking Seattle grunge band. Complete with music and tapes playing in the background, the Museum of Pop Culture does a great job encapsulating the band's vibe in an an almost reverential manner. My favorite part was how almost all of the guitars on display were damaged due to band members smashing them during shows. Definitely worth a stop.

Alongside the Nirvana exhibit you'll be able to find memorabilia from other famous musicians, like Jimi Hendrix and Hank Williams. After taking a look at the music exhibits I went into the media section of the museum, separated by Sci-fi, Fantasy, and Horror. I was honestly amazed by how many cool props the Museum of Pop Culture had collected from some of my favorite movies. I saw a real Darth Vader suit, Harry Potter's glasses, and some of the weapons used in Lord of the Rings. Overall an awesome place to geek out. We spent a little over an hour here and that was the perfect amount of time.

UFC Fight Night at Climate Pledge Arena

Finally, it was time to watch the UFC Fight Night at Climate Pledge Arena. If you're going to Climate Pledge for a future event, there are tons of bars around the park area if you don't want to spend $20 on a Modelo. Which we ended up doing anyway. But still it's a good idea if you're on more of a budget.

We got to the event around the second prelim fight and there was no line at all. A lot of people don't watch the prelims but if I'm spending $200 for a nosebleed ticket you better believe I'm watching them. Our seats were pretty decent by nosebleed standards, and the screens made it easy to follow the action when the fighters were clinched up or wrestling on the ground.

I was a little worried that the people at this event were just going to be absolute animals but everybody around us was really cool. I think since this was a minor Fight Night in a somewhat irregular city for UFC to tour, most of the crowd was made up of legitimate fans. Seattle brought good energy; every significant strike was met with cheers and at the same time it was quiet enough during the lulls that you could hear the strikes all the way from the nosebleeds.

The prelim fights were better than the main card this time around. My theory is that these guys need to make a name for themselves so they're not afraid to swing for the fences and go for dramatic KOs. If I remember correctly I don't think a single prelim went to decision, or even past the second round. It was absolutely electric, and the Seattle crowd loved it.

The main card fights were not as exciting, but they were still very fun to watch. The boring fights were definitely met with some heckling and boos from the crowd, but that's to be expected. In the main fight, Cejudo vs Song, they actually stopped the fight after a couple rounds due to an eye poke. Cejudo claimed he was unable to continue fighting due to that, and they stopped the fight. In a decision victory the win was given to Song in a very anticlimactic end to the Fight Night.

The crowd did not like this at all, but we actually got one more unscheduled fight. Two of the attendees on the main floor started swinging on each other as everyone filtered out. Once again the crowd roared and people started throwing their beers from the top levels into the melee. That last bit of anarchy was a little much but definitely something to witness.

That about sums up my trip to Seattle. If you're planning on visiting the Emerald City, go in Summer! I hope my experience helps you out a little. Also, if you have the opportunity to visit a UFC event and you have any interest in MMA, I say go for it. Absolutely electric. Until next time, thanks for reading.