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LAS VEGAS -- There once was a time June and July brought quiet moments in Southern Nevada. Plenty of them.
There wasn't much to cover in the summer, outside of American Legion baseball and possibly one or two AAU basketball tournaments.
Those days are long gone.
I'm not sure who decided we needed a reminder that those days are beyond the rearview mirror, but last week was the clear definition of why Southern Nevada is quickly taking over as the sports capital of the world.
From International Fight Week, to the WNBA, to the media tour of the biggest fight we'll see in decades, to the groundbreaking of an MLB stadium on the corner of one of the most iconic intersections of Las Vegas Boulevard.
Indeed, for sports journalists on every level, it was a breathtaking seven days.
To wit:
Sunday, June 22: For me, the day started at 4 am to knock out some writing commitments before getting to T-Mobile Arena by 9 for the nationally televised game between the Indiana Fever and Las Vegas Aces. Of course, that meant Caitlin Clark was in town, and the frenzy that follows her road trips. I not only needed to attend her pregame press conference, but also coach Stephanie White, and then get Sophie Cunningham and Lexie Hull for some additional projects. Talk about an energy-draining day, the Aces pulled out an 89-81 win to snap a three-game skid in front of a packed house. It was so mentally draining, when all said and done, afterward I went straight to Sgrizzi Ristorante & Bar By Chef Marc, where I just told them what I was in the mood for and they took care of the rest... with a couple of glasses of wine.
Monday, June 23: Again, the day started in the wee hours, this time at 3:30 am, to knock out my early-morning commitments, but also because I had to be at the MGM parking garage at 7 am, to catch a shuttle for the construction site where the A's ballpark is scheduled to be built by 2028. The Athletics did it up strong, with a beautiful setup for the official groundbreaking.
International Fight Week (IFW) also kicked off, as there were events throughout the week, including the beginning of UFC BJJ, UFC 317 media events, PowerSlap 13, the fan-favorite UFC Expo, and Dana White's venture into boxing with the Canelo-Crawford three-city media tour ending in Las Vegas later in the week.
UFC BJJ 1 weigh-ins took place on Tuesday.
Luckily, after attending five events in six days the previous week, including the Aces-Fever game and A's groundbreaking to start the seven-day stretch I'm writing about, I had a chance to come up for air on Tuesday.
Wednesday, June 25: UFC held it's media day at the headquarters with the fighters from the main card trotting into the media center for a few minutes, giving us a chance to hear how they were approaching 317. Later that day, UFC BJJ 1 took place at the UFC Apex. Also that night, I attended the Aces' home game against the Connecticut Sun, a game in which Las Vegas made it two straight wins with an 85-59 victory.
Thursday, June 26: UFC IFW continued as Power Slap 13 held its official weigh-ins, UFC 317 held its final prefight press conference, this one allowing the public to attend, and also UFC’s annual Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony returns to induct a new class of mixed martial arts legends. For me, it was another Aces game, as they played on the second of back-to-back nights, losing this one to the Washington Mystics, 94-83.
Friday, June 27: UFC continued to dominate the week, as the two-day fan experience opened at the Las Vegas Convention Center, UFC 317 held its official weigh-in while the fighters had their final faceoff before Saturday's card, the Canelo-Crawford press conference took place in front of thousands of fans inside T-Mobile Arena, and later that night PowerSlap 13 took place at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas.
Saturday, June 28: As the two-day fan expo came to an end, IFW culminated with one of the most exciting UFC cards we've seen in quite some time. From the preliminary card, to the undercard, to the main card - there were explosive matches all night, leading up to the main event, Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira.
Like UFC 317, there was non-stop action for seven straight days in a town that has taken over as the sports capital of the world.
And it doesn't end, by the way, as July means the arrival of the NBA Summer League, not to mention the opening of Raiders training camp. The Aces will also continue their season, as they look to return to the playoffs.
"I think it's always made sense that if sports organizations could get past all the gambling stuff, which they have, this is a serious sports town," UFC CEO and president Dana White said. "And I always say this, if there's an away game, everybody's going to go to Vegas for an away game. ... You come in two or three days early and make a whole trip out of it.
"I mean, there's going to be fucking ping pong here pretty soon. Everything's coming to Vegas."
Uhm, he's not wrong.
The $1.5 million World Table Tennis US Smash is being held at the Orleans Arena this week.
Yep, no more slow months in Las Vegas, that's for sure.