Diaz v McGregor II – Do Vegas For €500!

The Nate Diaz v Conor McGregor rematch has been confirmed this morning for July 9th and travel agents are already licking their lips at the prospect of Irish fans parting with their hard earned cash in the hope of seeing McGregor’s revenge in the flesh.

After a morning of fervent searching and Googling, we have come up with a way of getting to Las Vegas on the tightest budget possible. We’re not saying it’ll be easy, but here’s our way of getting to UFC 200 for under 500 quid!

Budget
Firstly let’s lay down some ground rules. You’re doing this on a strict budget, luxuries are abandoned from the outset and ladies may consider leaving the hair-straighteners at home. We suggest a hefty overcoat with plenty of pockets and the biggest case you can fit into an overhead locker. 55cm x 40cm x 20cm and a 10KG limit should be enough for a change of clothes and clear sealed plastic bag with toothpaste and some form of deodorant (both under 100mls).

Secondly, accommodation standards will need to be lowered accordingly. Even if you’re accustomed to using roadside budget hotels with one pillow and no soap, your stay in Vegas could end up making that look like a night at the Ritz.

The last requirement is patience, because the journey is as arduous as you’d imagine, but bare in mind we’ve squeezed this 9000km trip in for a mere €410.98.

Dublin- Reykjavik
First stop is McGregor’s home city; get to Dublin airport, midday, the day before the fight. Walk if you have to, or preferably thumb a lift, cabin bag in tow. So far, so good, nothing spent. Once inside, you’re looking for the Reykjavik gate number! You’ve already checked in online of course, fees avoided. The 2 hour 35 minute flight to Iceland arrives at 1.55pm.

Reykjavik – Los Angeles
Two hours later you’re back at the departure gate, this time for a 9 hour 20 minute commute to Los Angeles. So settle in, watch a movie and get some essential shut-eye, you’ll be needing it.

Los Angeles – Las Vegas
This is where the clock helps. You left Dublin at 20 past midday. You’re now in LA and it’s only 3.10pm, result. You’ve got plenty of time to spare with over 24 hours to the big fight and now is the time to stretch your legs because the last leg of your trek is upon you – an 8 hour bus journey with 3 changes. That’s the negative, but you could snap up this little gem for as little as $2.

Las Vegas Accommodation
You are now standing in Las Vegas only €413 lighter. UFC 200 is a day away so one night’s accommodation is required. We suggest ignoring the bright lights of the strip, the cheapest result in our search brought up a hostel on the outskirts for a grand total of $20.

One hotel website puts it 4 miles from the strip, but one final walk isn’t going to put you off, you’ve come so far right? Reviews vary from “you get what you pay for” to “better than the strip” so your stay may not be as uncomfortable as you imagine either.

Not only that, breakfast is included so add that to the meal you destroyed on the flight and we’ll assume you’re well nourished having had no need visit an eaterie and waste vital cash.

Ticket
Now your final obstacle is your ticket for the fight and this is where the budgets constraints get tricky. Prices for the bout in July have yet to be released and you may require a bit of underhand tactics to see your overall trip come in under the €500 mark now. A quick look back at recent UFC bills involving the box office draw of McGregor suggest the cheapest ticket sells for €187 and that’s not even getting close to the octagon.

Going down the official ticket route which we recommend (of course), means you may have busted your budget, but you’re in your seat and you’ve barely broken the €600 mark.

Considering the best seats in the house for the previous meeting between the two were advertised at €1332, we think under half of that for travel to Vegas, a roof for the night and a ticket is good business. Especially if it means you can be part of a crowd like this.