UFC Cleveland Return Happening at Right Time
This time around in Zuhosky's Take, Drew talks about how the UFC could not have picked a better time to make another trip to Cleveland:
Last week, UFC middleweight Bo Nickal revealed that he'll still be fighting Joe Pyfer in his next contest, just not on the date or the event that it was originally scheduled. Nickal was on the campaign trail in Ohio, speaking in support of Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramswany ahead of the Nov. 3 vote.
Before the middleweight took to the stage, it was mentioned that Bo Nickal (9-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) would be squaring off against Joe Pyfer (16-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) on the final event of the 2026 schedule, UFC 335 on Dec. 12 in T-Mobile Arena from Enterprise, NV. This is no longer the case.
"First off," Bo Nickal began, "I got a call backstage and I do have some news which is pretty exciting: My boy right here mentioned my fight in December. It actually got moved to February, where I'm going to be main-eventing in Cleveland."
Bo Nickal's announcement that his fight against Joe Pyfer was met with cheers from the audience at the rally.
UFC Cleveland Return a Long Time Coming
While no specific date in February has been announced for UFC Cleveland, the February event headlined by Bo Nickal vs. Joe Pyfer brings a decade-plus wait between shows in the 216 area code to an end. The last time the UFC held a show in Cleveland was the night of Sept. 10, 2016.
Cleveland was on a sports high that summer. Less than three months prior to UFC 203 at what was then named Quicken Loans Arena, NBA superstar LeBron James made good on a promise to bring a championship to Cleveland when he led the Cavs to a 4-3 series win in the NBA Finals after trailing the Golden State Warriors 3-1 after four games, complete with a key blocked shot against Andre Iguodala in the fourth quarter of Game 7.
In baseball, the then-Cleveland Indians were chasing an American League Central Division Championship and clinched in late September. On the night of Sept. 10, 2016, the Cleveland Browns were hours away from beginning the regular season in the NFL, but would only win a single game that year.
As far as the UFC was concerned, Stipe Miocic was the heavyweight champion going into his initial defense of the strap in UFC 203 from his hometown. Miocic versed Alistair Overeem in Cleveland that night, successfully defending the strap with a first-round knockout due to ground and pound shots. Ultimately, Miocic would defend the title three times in his first reign as champion.
Northeast Ohio Receives Good Fortune in Sports World Ahead of UFC Cleveland
A decade removed from the last time that the No. 1 MMA promotion in the world trekked to Northeast Ohio, the sports world is again kind to Cleveland. Despite missing out on LeBron James in NBA free agency this past summer, the Cavaliers are coming into the 2026-2027 season looking to build off of a berth in the Eastern Conference Finals last year.
On the baseball diamond, the ballclub calling Progressive Field home is now called the Cleveland Guardians. They've made the MLB postseason in each of the last three years, including a trip to the American League Championship Series this season against the Tampa Bay Rays..
After a stretch of bad luck over the years, the Cleveland Browns have had the best of luck thus far in the NFL season. Through Sunday afternoon's victory over their AFC North Division rivals, the Baltimore Ravens, the Browns stake claim to first place in the division at 4-2.
No Better Time for UFC Cleveland Return Than 2027
Cleveland is a fabulous sports town. On gameday in any given sport, be it pro, college, or high school, Cleveland sports fans always show up to root on their favorite players and teams.
No matter the date for UFC Cleveland in February, expect the crowd to show up much the same as they would for a game. Quite simply, the time is right for the UFC to make a return to Northeast Ohio.
