By Shawn Smith

Madison Square Garden is the most important venue in the world for combat sports. Anyone who tells you differently is a liar.

That’s why promoters, lawmakers and fight enthusiasts fought so hard to have mixed martial arts legalized in the state of New York for so long, a battle they finally won in early 2016.

For nearly 150 years, Madison Square Garden has been the home to many of the biggest fights in the history of combat sports. Mixed martial arts is hoping to continue that trend.

It was July 17, 1882 when “Boston Strong Boy” John L. Sullivan, a legendary heavyweight boxer widely recognized as the first world heavyweight champion, brought his rugged stylings to the ring in an exhibition against England’s Joe Collins. For $5 a seat, locals saw Sullivan drop Collins an unfathomable 22 times in four rounds, including nine knockdowns in the first round.

While combat sports have become much more refined in the years since Sullivan thrashed Collins, the aura of Madison Square Garden as an iconic fight venue has stayed intact. Nearly every great champion in the history of combat sports has applied their craft at Madison Square Garden, the most iconic of sporting venues in the world.

From Muhammad Ali to Joe Louis, Roberto Duran to Jack Dempsey, Sugar Ray Robinson to Arturo Gatti; Madison Square Garden has maintained its aura like few venues in sports ever have.

On June 24, Bellator will carve its own spot into the history of Madison Square Garden when they host Bellator 180, headlined by a grudge match between Brazilian Wanderlei Silva and former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen. The card will be co-headlined by a showdown between all-time great Fedor Emelianenko and UFC veteran Matt Mitrione. As well, three world titles will be defended in arguably the most talent rich card on the mixed martial arts calendar.

The importance of Bellator’s debut in MSG certainly hasn’t been lost of the fighters.

“It's the pinnacle of venues, getting to fight in Madison Square Garden is one of those bucket list things,” said Ryan Bader, who will challenge Phil Davis for the Bellator light-heavyweight championship. “It's one of those venues in general where you can look back and say you fought in one of the great fight venues.”
Davis agreed, although it took a little bit longer for the significance to settle in.

“I didn't really know it meant so much to me at first because the opportunity of fighting at Madison Square Garden is so brand new,” Davis said. “I had never given it much thought until I was on the card and then I knew it was a big opportunity here. Every time I step in the cage I want to do a good job but something about this, I really want to make it special for the fans.” 

For Michael Chandler, who will defend his Bellator lightweight championship against Brent Primus on the pay-per-view portion of the card, fighting as Madison Square Garden just made sense.

“I'm fighting on the Madison Square Garden card and rightfully so; I think I'm one of the biggest assets that Bellator has,” Chandler said. “I've been there two or three times now and I'm trying my hardest not to think about the magnitude of how awesome the place is because I don't want it to affect my performance. After I'm done and I've got the title back around my waist, then I'll go out and look at Madison Square Garden more closely.”

Heather Hardy, a native New Yorker who made her name as the “Arturo Gatti of women’s boxing” before crossing over to MMA, has an even closer attachment to Madison Square Garden. She’s been to numerous fights in the building, as well as concerts like Billy Joel. At her college graduation, she walked across the stage at, you guessed it, Madison Square Garden.

“It means the world to me, I think every New Yorker dreams of it,” Hardy said. “What's bigger than a fight in the Garden, right?”

What is it that makes Madison Square Garden so iconic? History.

Everyone has a story about the fighters of yesteryear that helped turn them onto combat sports.  
“It's the place where Muhammad Ali boxed; it's the fight mecca of the world,” Hardy said. “There's MGM Grand and Barclay's Centre now, but Madison Square Garden is what started it all.” 

Bader, who grew up on the west coast, doesn’t have the close relationship that Hardy does with the building. However, he’s still able to recognize the importance Madison Square Garden has in the world of combat sports.

“I'm from the west coast so it's not like I grew up there and went to games there, but it's about what has been done there,” Bader said. “Looking to see who has competed in this building, it's just cool to be a part of it and put your stamp on history there. I've fought all over the world and Madison Square Garden is at the top of the list. I'm excited about it.”

Chandler, a student of combat sports, recognizes more than most the significance of fighting in a cage not far off or where Ali and Frazier exchanged blows, or where Mike Tyson destroyed fighters like Reggie Gross and Mitch Green.

“If you look at the names that have fought there, from Ali to Frazier to Tyson; it's literally the who's who of combat sports,” Chandler said. “Any famous punch that has ever been thrown has been thrown by guys at the levels of legendary status have fought at Madison Square Garden. To be able to go into that Bellator cage within feet of where those boxing rings were set up for some of the biggest fights in the history of human existence is crazy. It's crazy to think I'll be walking the same halls of Muhammad Ali, the same halls as Mike Tyson.”