UFC 288 took place on May 6, 2023, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. There were plenty of celebrities in attendance.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and his wife Tammy Snyder Murphy were also present at the event. The governor’s attendance at UFC 288 indicates the growing popularity of MMA in mainstream culture.
Euphoria star Sydney Sweeney and rapper Action Bronson were among the high-profile attendees at UFC 288. In a video posted on social media, Sweeney expressed her excitement about being at the event.
Sydney Sweeney even took a photo with the resident internet loud mouth, Dillon Danis.
Several MMA legends and UFC stars were also spotted at UFC 288. Don Frye, a UFC Hall of Famer and MMA legend, was present, as was current light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill. Other notable stars in attendance included Kelvin Gastelum, Cory Sandhagen, Justin Gaethje, Irene Aldana, Chris Weidman, Jim Miller, Frankie Edgar, Kevin Holland, Erin Blanchfield, Sean O’Malley, and Chan Sung Jung, also known as ‘The Korean Zombie’.
But an incident in the crowd did detract from the event. Apparently a group of UFC fans tried to agitate and instigate a conflict with a group of Sikh fans.
A clip that went viral featured two groups of fans throwing down without any caution. The incident involved at least 6 people who were amongst each other and kept throwing.
One unlucky participant even got taken down and slammed into the floor between the seats in the arena.
According to estimates, there are around 25,000 to 30,000 Sikhs living in New Jersey, with a majority residing in the northern part of the state, specifically in the cities of Carteret, Edison, Jersey City, and North Bergen. Sikhs have a significant presence in New Jersey and have established several gurdwaras (Sikh places of worship) in the state to cater to the religious and social needs of the community.
Some of the Sikhs that were in the viral clip are wearing traditional turban that makes them easy to recognize.