UFC Fight Night: McGregor vs. Siver in danger of local competition from the NFL's New England Patriots

The UFC's return to Boston is just three weeks away, with Conor McGregor and Dennis Siver taking part in the main event on Sunday, January 18th. It's due to be a busy day in the world of North American sports, because the NFL's Conference Championships will determine the two participants in Super Bowl XLIX. It's a curious decision by the UFC (and I guess Fox) to put one of their stronger looking Fight Night lineups on a day when much of the discussion will be centered around the gridiron.

Boston's beloved New England Patriots clinched the #1 seed in the AFC on Monday by way of the Denver Broncos dropping their game against the Cincinnati Bengals, meaning that the Patriots clinch home field advantage throughout the postseason, in addition to a 1st round bye. If all goes according to plan and New England wins their first playoff game, they will be hosting the AFC Championship Game on ... Sunday, January 18th in Foxboro, which is roughly 30 miles south of Boston's TD Garden, where UFC Fight Night takes place.

There's no mistaking it - If there's a Patriots home game and a UFC event in Boston on the same night, there is no way the UFC wins that battle. A hypothetical New England game would kick off at 6:30 PM ET and end at around 10 PM ET, which is when the UFC main card starts.

Ticket sales for McGregor vs. Siver are not terribly strong, but it's on course to sell out most of the available seating. The benefit of Conor McGregor in the main event is the potential for Irish fans to travel across the Atlantic to watch their beloved countryman. Otherwise, it will be interesting however to see how the arena looks throughout the day as more than half of the event will run concurrently with the NFL, and potentially the Patriots. This isn't something the UFC has had to contend with too often, and this all feels like bad timing for one of their biggest Fox Sports 1 shows.