UFC 189 breaks gate records
Dana White has announced that the gate has gone from $6.8 million to $7.1 million since Jose Aldo declared he wouldn’t be fighting due to his rib injury.
You could literally hear the groans of disappointment reverberate around the world when the announcement that current featherweight champion Jose Aldo had pulled out of his defense against Conor McGregor scheduled for UFC 189. However, with the UFC having their backup plan already in place – step forward Alpha Male product Chad Mendes to fight the charismatic Irishman for the interim featherweight title. Although this probably doesn’t make up for the amount of money that Aldo will lose from pulling out of the fight, with UFC President Dana White suggesting that the Brazilian would have made upwards of $4 million from the fight, it does satisfy the many fans that have already purchased tickets for the event.
With the event only days away, both fighters still have to shed a lot of weight in time for the bout but with both never missing weight, this shouldn’t be a problem for either. Though, this isn’t the most newsworthy material circulating right now. Dana White has announced that the gate has gone from $6.8 million to $7.1 million since Aldo declared he wouldn’t be fighting due to his rib injury. This is a record gate for MMA in the United States, and once again it is McGregor that is breaking down new barriers in his conquest to become one of the biggest sports stars on the planet. White told MMA Fighting: The event is the biggest gate we’ve ever done in the U.S.” This gate surpasses the rematch between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen at UFC 148, which took $6.9 million.
Figures like this just strengthen the affiliation the UFC has with the MGM Garden Casino and Resort where the organization regularly hosts its biggest events because of how popular MMA is in Las Vegas. The fight capital of the world has seen some of the most memorable fights MMA has to offer over the years predominantly because land-based casinos have had to adapt their entertainment offerings dramatically over the past 10 years.
The MGM Garden Arena, which is on the same site as its luxurious casino holds 16,800 people and has been a large proponent in the MGM brand prevailing in uncertain times due to online gaming’s market share in today’s market. With leading online casino portals such as Betfair who cover MMA extensively, posting profits upwards of $80 million annually, the MGM’s partnership with UFC to hold regular high profile events has become an integral part of their entertainment business portfolio. This partnership has helped the MGM survive in uncertain times where many smaller casinos have closed down.
Even smaller casinos across the United States have started to welcome the likes of Bellator and WSOF to increase revenues in other areas needed to stay afloat since the emergence of online casino portals. With such a sizeable buy rate expected for pay-per-view for this coming event, the UFC are set for another windfall although arguably not nearly as much as they would’ve with Aldo featuring in the main event. How many pay-per-view sales do you think UFC 189 will get? Who do you think with prevail at UFC 189: the striker or the wrestler?