A Look Back at UFC 203: A Hometown Champion Wins as a Baby is Born

My good friend Cole McDaniel often revels in the real-life stories I tell him.  From sports to romantic failures, to incredibly lucky breaks that lead to me meeting celebrities or getting calls from Bill Belichick, lord knows my life is filled with funny stories and epic adventures.  All of which start off innocent enough, but most times, lead to chaotic results.

While I love telling my stories to my good friend Cole, there is one I’m not sure he or many people have ever heard, so I figured I would take this moment to tell this little ditty of a tale as we approach the six-year anniversary of Stipe Miocic knocking out Alistair Overeem to retain his UFC Heavyweight Championship in front of a packed house at the then, Quicken Loans Arena.

The date, September 10, 2016.  My wife was 9 months pregnant and ready to pop at any moment.  My eldest daughter Maggie who was born in August of 2013, was 2 and a half weeks “past due” when she came into the world.  Thus, I just figured, well, if the first daughter came late, so will the second one.  I checked with my loving and understanding wife Emily numerous times that day to make sure, I could still cover UFC 203.  Simply put, had she said no, I would have stayed home and not used my credential.

You see, this was a pretty big deal in the life of Vincenzo Peter James McKee, while I had covered everything from the NBA Finals to the Gold Cup to the MLB World Series, this was different.  This was the UFC for gosh sakes, and the fact that I was credentialed to cover such a big event, in my own hometown, was a dream come true.  My wife is an amazing soul, and wouldn’t allow me to miss it.

As I got ready and began fixing my tie and suit jacket just right, she laid there on the bed and said, “you know, my stomach kind of hurts, I wonder if this little baby is coming sooner than later”.  I knew right there, this was the biggest gamble of my life and asked her again if I should stay home.  She told me to go, so I went.  BIG MISTAKE!

5 fights into the night, I sat there rubbing elbows with Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Yahoo Sports, Ring Magazine and every big shot in the UFC you could think of.  As I covered each fight and took notes, all I could think about was “this is too good to be true”.  I also checked my phone every 5 minutes to make sure Emily was ok.

Then the undercard was done, the PPV started, Teenage Wasteland blared over the loudspeakers and I thought to myself, “wow, I’m going to make it, I’m actually going to cover the main card of a UFC PPV.” It was then, the walkout song of Jessica Andrade, “Drag Me Down” by One direction, started blaring over the loudspeakers, and my phone rang with Emily on the other end, she was in labor.

By the grace of God, I made it out of the Quicken Loans Arena and to Fairview Hospital to see Madelyn Rose McKee born, with just six minutes to spare after I arrived.  Ever since then, every time I hear that song, my family sings along and we call it the “Madelyn Song”.  I’m still not a One Direction fan, but the same night CM Punk got choked out, and Stipe Miocic retained via knockout I was holding back tears and possible vomit as I hauled ass towards Fairview Hospital.

Thank you to my Dad for rushing Emily to the hospital.

Thank you to my partner in crime that night Eli Mooneyham, for texting me the results of the fights, and also scrambling to find another way home after I bolted.

Thank you to the city of North Olmsted, for putting out a giant fire on my street at 3 am, when I had stopped home for a change of clothes to head back to the hospital for the night. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing as I rolled down the street.

Thank you to my wife Emily, for not bringing this up every day of our lives ever since, you have been more amazing then words can say.

Happy 6^th birthday Zook. Daddy loves you!