Book Buying Amnesty Fail, UFC 196

Back in October I mentioned I was trying not to buy any more books, as I had more than enough. I failed last Sunday though, and strayed into the Oxfam at the end of Oldham St and picked up this beauty:

I was 16 when South Park hit terrestrial TV and immediately loved it. Reading the scripts for the first season was a great trip down memory lane. Amazing how many jokes I missed the first time around.

I'll continue to avoid the lure of bookshops while I chug through the huge pile I still have.

Last night I went out to watch UFC 196, in theory with some people from the Cool Bars group. The fights started some time around 1am, with the main card happening after 3. I arranged the meetup for 2:30am, as the start time was still very difficult to track down. None of the websites were making it clear. Genting Casino is supposed to be one of the best places to watch fight sports, so I arranged the meetup to take place there. I got there on time, but there was no sign of my 2 RSVPs. (As the start time became clear a lot of people dropped out but there were still remaining committed people.) A few screens were showing the boxing. The barmaid claimed they weren't showing UFC, but a few minutes later she led me to the back of the club where one screen was set up with the pay-per-view feed. The first undercard was already under way, so God knows what time it actually started.

I got talking to a group of Irish lads who were there to watch UFC. A sound group, we got on straight away. Bantamweight title fight Holly Holm vs Miesha Tate was a good matchup, and a fair win for new champ Tate. She must be good if she can beat Holm, who had previously beaten the then-unbeaten champ Ronda Rousey.

The main event: Conor McGregor V Nate Diaz. The current featherweight champ McGregor bulked up to welterweight at short notice to fight Diaz. He had good heart but the extra muscle weight clearly gassed him out and Diaz's superior ground game got the better of him. Diaz won by Rear Naked Choke early in the second round. To take on a challenge like that- going up 2 weights- is no easy feat though, and he still has his belt in the lower weight. So fair play to him. Who else would do that? I was gutted when he lost though. Telegraph has a good write-up. 

So. A night of upsets. Is Genting not the place to go for UFC? Is there a better or more reliable venue in the city? What about competitor casino Manchester 235?