Maxx Crosby, Jon Jones open busy weekend at Flanker
Raiders sack master Maxx Crosby and UFC champ Jon Jones were presented a dessert festooned with fireworks Friday night at the VIP opening of Flanker Kitchen & Sports Bar.
But after the spark-showered sundae, Saturday offers plenty of fireworks at the new Mandalay Bay sports bar in its first full day of operations.
Flanker is hosting the official watch party for UFC 289, broadcast beginning at 4 p.m. The licensed UFC event was set up months ago, to coincide with Flanker’s opening weekend.
What wasn’t in the planning was the Golden Knights-Panthers Stanley Cup Final Game 5, broadcast beginning at 5 p.m.
Early shots of @flankerlv … Covers all the bases. Fabulous big screen. @CrosbyMaxx @JonnyBones … This place is going to do well … #RJNow @reviewjournal pic.twitter.com/qfrrJu43ey
— John Katsilometes (@johnnykats) June 10, 2023
As Matthew Tkachuk would say, this is quite a collision.
Flanker operator and Carver Road Hospitality co-founder Sean Christie said Saturday morning his venue is ready to face the field.
“We have enough screens to show the Golden Knights in its entirety and maybe every other screen on the UFC feed,” Christie said. “I think the timing should work out, with the Golden Knights ending at about 8 o’clock and the main event at 9 p.m.”
Golden Knights take the primary, 56-foot-wide big screen and audio feed for the entire game.
The UFC main is a rematch between two-division UFC champ Amanda Nunes and bantamweight title challenger Irene Aldana. Also, kicking off the sports marathon, Inter Milan faces Manchester City in the Champions League final at noon. That doesn’t count the Major League Baseball broadcasts throughout the day.
Amid all the balls, pucks and punches, the Golden Knights are the main event.
“We are in Las Vegas,” Christie said. “The Golden Knights are the star of the evening.”
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.
