The fact that this weekend marks just the third time the UFC has brought an event to Iowa and the first visit in 25 years feels crazy given the massive impact the state had on the promotion at the tail end of the SEG era and first several years under Zuffa.
Based out of Bettendorf, Miletich Fighting Systems was the first super-camp in the UFC, with five members of the long-defunct team holding championship gold at one point. The team’s namesake and leader, Pat Miletich, was the inaugural welterweight titleholder, 2023 Hall of Fame inductee Jens Pulver was in the first lightweight champion, and Matt Hughes and Tim Sylvia were both two-time champions in their respective divisions.