10 cities we want to see the UFC at in 2023

1. New Orleans, Louisiana

One of the most unique cities in the United States, New Orleans has long been a transcontinental hub for entertainment and a vast cultural melting pot. It is also the most populous city in Louisiana and the twelfth most populous city in the southeastern U.S.

In the early days of the UFC, New Orleans was prime ground to hold UFC 16: Battle in the Bayou, UFC 18: The Road to the Heavyweight Title, and UFC 27: Ultimate Bad Boyz, however since Sept. 2000, the UFC has only returned to The Big Easy twice for UFC Fight Night: Shields vs. Ellenberger (2011) and UFC Fight Night: Boetsch vs. Henderson (2015).

That marks seven years since the promotion has held an event in New Orleans, and Louisianan fans are certainly hungry for more live action. With various native Louisiana current and past UFC fighters like Daniel Cormier, Dustin Poirier, Alan Jouban, Liz Carmouche, and Brendan Allen, the promotion could likely see success in a New Orleans-based fight card.

With a population of over 400,000, New Orleans is a financial and tourism hub, regularly attracting over ten million visitors every year. It is one of the top ten most-visited cities in the United States and would make a perfect destination for thrill-seeking UFC fans and locals.

Much like Miami, the likely cause of hesitance to hold another event in New Orleans is the previous fights’ turnout. In 2015, the 18,500-person Smoothie King Center had an attendance of 6,231. However, the UFC has grown exponentially in popularity since then, and New Orleans is likely ready to sell out its next UFC event if the fight card strength warrants it.