UFC 182 Gate and Attendance Low, but PPV Expectations Running High

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straight6

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"The event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena drew a respectable crowd of 11,575 for a gate of $3.7 million, but those numbers certainly belies the hype surrounding the Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier main event."

"By contrast, UFC 168, which featured the rematch between Chris Weidman and Anderson Silva, drew 15,650 people for a gate of $6.2 million in the same MGM Grand Garden Arena."

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ufc-18...-ppv-expectations-running-075736764--mma.html


Didnt imagine the gap is that big with JJ and DC much lower. All that crazy hype and animosity (which makes great promo)...all the trash talks and anticipation for months for the "biggest fight", the gates came in way below Silva v.s Weidman. Thought the arena ought to be sold out for sure or at least > Silva and Weidman.
 
A rematch between GOAT and a Long Islander > a LHW GOAT from Ithica (gross) and a wrestler with a huge reach disadvantage.
 
MGM Grand, Mandalay, etc, these are venues that usually do well. It's Vegas and its in MMA's capital city. The event was pumped and hyped to the gills and the turnout is surprisingly low. I understand that 3.7 million is still 3.7 million. PPV's buys are the cash cow, but event ticket sales is one of the many indicators of how healthy the fan base is.

As far as the PPV buyrate guys, I am sure there are stats and trends out the arse that predict a PPV buy. I'm guessing the predicitive model set a range of 500k to a million. I'd guess closer to 500k, but then again, thats just a swag with no data behind it.
 
That 182 gate number really fell short... 182 was the most hyped and promoted fight of the ufc in a LONG time...(some say ever). 2 undefeated LHWs that HATED each other with JJ the most (dominant/hated) champ in UFC history defending against "the biggest threat".
 
i will say ithica is gross,but i thought the fight lived up to expectations. I thought it was a great fight.I dont know how people didnt love it. Jones vs gustafsson had a slow final round and people didnt start crying and whining about that. The first three rounds were so intense of course things were gonna slow down,but you try telling that to these keyboard warriors who never spent a day in the gym.
 
I heard/read the ticket prices were INSANE for this & that bit them in the ass
 
straight6 said:
That 182 gate number really fell short... 182 was the most hyped and promoted fight of the ufc in a LONG time...(some say ever). 2 undefeated LHWs that HATED each other with JJ the most (dominant/hated) champ in UFC history defending against "the biggest threat".
Click to expand...

It's very odd how social morays and pop culture factors - or doesn't - into this all.

Casuals know of both Silva and Bones, yet in the US where the PPVs are, the quasi-English speaker with "less of a personality" seems to trump the more WWE-esque American. Then again, Silva's body of work may be more exciting to casuals than that of Bones.

Even then, however, with the huge publicity Bones v DC received from the incident to the hearings, I don't think it could hold a candle to Ronda's lock on the female market - especially with little girls apparently having PPVS slumber parties (assuming you believe that).
 
straight6 said:
That 182 gate number really fell short... 182 was the most hyped and promoted fight of the ufc in a LONG time...(some say ever). 2 undefeated LHWs that HATED each other with JJ the most (dominant/hated) champ in UFC history defending against "the biggest threat".
Click to expand...

Would I have been happy if Jones had lost ? Yes.

Would I have pay 1000 dollars to, maybe, watch him lose live ? No.

Being disliked can bring interest, but that won't motivate people to spend as much as for fighters they love.
 
HHJ said:
i will say ithica is gross,but i thought the fight lived up to expectations. I thought it was a great fight.I dont know how people didnt love it. Jones vs gustafsson had a slow final round and people didnt start crying and whining about that. The first three rounds were so intense of course things were gonna slow down,but you try telling that to these keyboard warriors who never spent a day in the gym.
Click to expand...

Jones/DC was better than Lawler/Hendricks I and II and Jones/Gus, imo.
 
DizzyYeahYeah said:
Jones/DC was better than Lawler/Hendricks I and II and Jones/Gus, imo.
Click to expand...

I disagree, Jones was clearly leading the scorecards this time and Cormier was slowing down the most, while each round of Lawler vs Hendricks and Jones vs Gus could change the winner.
 
DizzyYeahYeah said:
Jones/DC was better than Lawler/Hendricks I and II and Jones/Gus, imo.
Click to expand...

for sure!

jones gus was also very good, the lawler hendricks fights were kind of "eh" for me. Its where cutting massive weight and 5 round fights has the downside.
 
Jose Aldo Nova said:
Even then, however, with the huge publicity Bones v DC received from the incident to the hearings, I don't think it could hold a candle to Ronda's lock on the female market - especially with little girls apparently having PPVS slumber parties (assuming you believe that).
Click to expand...

Felice Herrig vs. Paige VanZant pillow fight
 
HHJ said:
for sure!

jones gus was also very good, the lawler hendricks fights were kind of "eh" for me. Its where cutting massive weight and 5 round fights has the downside.
Click to expand...

I liked the aura of both Jones and DC. Alex was supposed to be another number but he put up a good fight. DC was supposed to be Jones' kryptonite, saying he would out wrestle Jones and dominate him and it was believable because he never lost a round in MMA @ HW and LHW.

All the while, Jones is building his resum
 
I came in here to say that Jon doesn't inspire passion in MMA fans. I'm a Jon hater, but this past weekend was the only fight since Rashad I bought. On the other side, though I have softened on both, I am also an Anderson Silva and Nick Diaz hater, but I have seen every fight of theirs in the last 3-4 years. Jon just doesn't have a fanatical fan base, nor does he command the type of hatred that people buy in because they want to see him lose.

I came in here to say that, but now I am more curious as to why two of you think that fight was better that Jones/Gus and the 2 Hendricks/Lawler fights? Please I need specifics.
 
No real surprise here.

Anderson is a genuinely likable up-beat character, the type that you'd half expect to do a samba dance with his opponent after the match and Weidman is a blue collar everyman who might as well have been fathered by Bruce Springsteen. This, while I am yet to find a person who holds Jones ih high regard as a person (even his sternest supporters try to play this down by calling his persona "dark" or "heelish"), or a casual who has any knowledge about DC that goes above "he's short and fat".

My point being, people like to root for likable guys, win or lose, rather than fighters whose moral equals have stuffed them in lockers in highschool - especially when said fighters have 99% chance of winning. This may sound cynical, but sports fans like to live vicariously through athletes they identify with.
 
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