MMA in Numbers Update -- UFC 101 and UK Interest

by Eugene Schelfaut on Aug 24, 2009 2:45 AM EDT in News Comment 21 comments

Welcome to another installment of the table (seen in the extended entry) which cannot be stopped. One of the assorted talking points which can be pulled from this exercise is the contrast between domestic and European events and how that impacts the moves going forward.

UFC UK president Marshall Zelaznik gives insight to Zuffa's continued and future investment overseas:

"We didn’t deliberately cut back our UK schedule in 2009, it just worked out that we only had two shows. But in 2010 we are looking to be busy in Britain," he said.

Zelaznik says the UFC is interested in visiting cities that have not yet hosted a show, but says the size of venues is a limiting factor in some cases.

"We definitely want to do Liverpool and Nottingham in 2010. Any city that has a suitable venue capable of holding more than 9,000 spectators, we are interested in," he says.

"We want to go to Scotland as soon as possible but at present there is no venue there that can accommodate us. But we are going to go back to Dublin in 2010.

The last UK event for the UFC in 2009 will be the105 event November 14th in Manchester, England. The card features the rumored headline of B.J. Penn vs. Diego Sanchez for the lightweight title and will not be on available on PPV. Penn's last foray into a UK PPV against Joe Stevenson at 80 did a reported, unimpressive 225k in buys.

See full entry for the newly updated MMA in Numbers listing.

	Main Event	Location	PPV/ Rating	Gate	Salary	Bonuses
UFC 1 Nov. 12, 1993	Gracie vs. Gordeau	Denver, Colorado	86,000 (NS)
UFC 5 April 7, 1995	Gracie vs Shamrock	Charlotte, North Carolina	260,000 (NS)
UFC 33 Sep. 28, 2001	Ortiz vs. Matyushenko	Las Vegas, Nevada	75,000 (NS)
UFC 34 Nov. 2, 2001	Couture vs. Rizzo II Hughes vs. Newton	Las Vegas, Nevada	60,000 (NS)
UFC 35 Jan. 11, 2002	Penn vs. Pulver I	Uncasville, Connecticut	35,000 (NS)
UFC 36 Mar. 22, 2002	Barnett vs. Couture	Las Vegas, Nevada	55,000 (NS)
UFC 37 May 10, 2002	Lindland vs. Bustamante	Bossier City, Louisiana	50,000 (NS)
UFC 38 July 13, 2002	Hughes vs. Newton II	London, England	45,000 (NS)
UFC 39 Sep. 27, 2002	Rodriguez vs. Couture	Uncasville, Connecticut	45,000 (NS)
UFC 40 Nov. 22, 2002	Ortiz vs. Shamrock I	Las Vegas, Nevada	150,000 (NS)
UFC 41 Feb. 28, 2003	Rodriguez vs. Sylvia	Atlantic City, New Jersey	60,000 (NS)
UFC 42 April 25, 2003	Hughes vs. Sherk	Miami, Florida	35,000 (NS)
UFC 43 June 6, 2003	Couture vs.Liddell I	Las Vegas, Nevada	49,000 (NS)
UFC 44 Sep. 26, 2003	Couture vs. Ortiz	Las Vegas, Nevada	94,000 (NS)
UFC 45 Nov. 21, 2003	Hughes vs. Trigg	Uncasville, Connecticut	40,000 (NS)
UFC 46 Jan. 31, 2004	Couture vs. Belfort II	Las Vegas, Nevada	77,000 (NS)
UFC 47 April 2, 2004	Liddell vs. Ortiz I	Las Vegas, Nevada	104,000 (NS)
UFC 48 June 19, 2004	Shamrock vs. Kimo	Las Vegas, Nevada	110,000 (NS)
UFC 49 Aug. 21, 2004	Couture vs. Belfort III	Las Vegas, Nevada	80,000 (NS)
UFC 50 Oct. 22, 2004	Ortiz vs. Cote	Atlantic City, New Jersey	40,000 (NS)
UFC 51 Feb. 5, 2050	Ortiz vs. Belfort	Las Vegas, Nevada	105,000 (NS)
UFC 52 April 16, 2005	Liddell vs. Couture II	Las Vegas, Nevada	280,000 (NS)
UFC 53 June 4, 2005	Arlovski vs. Eilers	Atlantic City, New Jersey	90,000 (NS)
UFC 54 Aug. 20, 2005	Liddell vs. Horn	Las Vegas, Nevada	150,000 (NS)
UFC 55 Oct. 7, 2005	Arlovski vs. Buentello	Uncasville, Connecticut	125,000 (NS)
UFC 56 Nov. 19, 2005	Franklin vs. Quarry Hughes vs. Riggs	Las Vegas, Nevada	200,000 (NS)
UFC 57 Feb 4, 2006	Liddell vs. Couture III	Las Vegas, Nevada	400,000 (NS)
UFC 58 Mar. 4, 2006	Franklin vs. Loiseau	Las Vegas, Nevada	290,000 (NS)
UFC 59 April 15, 2006	Arlovski vs. Sylvia II / Oritz vs. Griffin	Anaheim, California	415,000 (NS)
UFC 60 May 27, 2006	Hughes vs. Gracie	Los Angeles, California	615,000 (NS)
UFC 61 July 8, 2006	Ortiz vs. Shamrock II / Sylvia vs. Arlovski III	Las Vegas, Nevada	775,000 (NS)
UFC 62 Aug. 26, 2006	Liddell vs. Sobral II	Las Vegas, Nevada	500,000 (NS)
UFC 63 Sep. 23, 2006	Hughes vs. Penn II	Anaheim, California	400,000 (MR)
UFC 64 Oct. 14, 2006	Franklin vs. Silva I Sherk vs. Florian	Las Vegas, Nevada	300,000 (NS)
UFC 65 Nov. 18, 2006	Hughes vs. Pierre II Sylvia vs. Monson	Sacramento, California	500,000 (NS)
UFC 66 Dec. 30, 2006	Liddell vs. Ortiz II	Las Vegas, Nevada	1,050,000 (NS)
UFC 67 Feb. 3, 2007	Silva vs. Lutter	Las Vegas, Nevada	350,000 (NS)
UFC 68 Mar. 3, 2007	Sylvia vs. Couture	Columbus, Ohio	534,000
UFC 69 April 7, 2007	Pierre vs. Serra I	Houston, Texas	400,000 (NS)
UFC 70 April 21, 2007	Gonzaga vs. Cro Cop	Manchester, England	TV
UFC 71 May 26, 2007	Liddell vs. Jackson	Las Vegas, Nevada	675,000 (NS)		$920,500
UFC 72 June 16, 2007	Franklin vs. Okami	Belfast, Northern Ireland	200,000 (NS)
UFC 73 July 7, 2007	Silva vs. Marquardt Sherk vs. Franka	Sacramento, California	375,000 (MR)	$1,551,920	$761,000
UFC 74 Aug. 25, 2007	Couture vs. Gonzaga	Las Vegas, Nevada	485,000
UFC 75 Sep. 8, 2007	Jackson vs. Henderson	London, England	TV
UFC 76 Sep. 22, 2007	Liddell vs. Jardine	Anaheim, California	450,000 (NS)
UFC 77 Oct. 20, 2007	Silva vs. Franklin II	Cincinati, Ohio	325,000 (NS)
UFC 78 Nov. 17, 2007	Bisping vs. Evans	Newark, New Jersey	400,000 (NS)
UFC 79 Dec. 29, 2007	Pierre vs. Hughes III / Liddell vs. Silva	Las Vegas, Nevada	680,000 (MR)
UFC 80 Jan. 19, 2008	B.J. Penn vs. Joe Stevenson	Newcastle, England	225,000 buys	$1,250,000		$35k each $140k total
UFC 81 Feb. 2, 2008	Nogueira vs. Sylvia Lesnar vs. Mir	Las Vegas, Nevada	600,000 buys	$2,437,890	$892,000	$60k each $240k total
UFC 82 March 1, 2008	Silva vs. Henderson	Columbus, Ohio	325,000 buys	$2,200,000	$932,000	$60k each $240k total
UFC 83 April 19, 2008	St. Pierre vs. Serra	Montreal, Canada	530,000 buys	$5,100,000		$75k each $300k total
UFC 84 May 24, 2008	Penn vs. Sherk	Las Vegas, Nevada	475,000 buys	$3,732,000	$1,098,000	$75k each $300k total
UFC 85 June 7, 2008	Alves vs. Hughes	London, England	225,000 buys	$2,930,000		$50k each $200k total
UFC 86 Jul. 5, 2008	Griffin vs. Jackson	Las Vegas, Nevada	540,000 buys	$3,350,730	$943,000	$60k each $240k total
UFC 87 Aug. 9, 2008	St. Pierre vs. Fitch Lesnar vs. Herring	Minneapolis, Minnesota	625,000 buys	$2,252,000		$60k each $240k total
UFC 88 Sep. 6, 2008	Evans vs. Liddell	Atlanta, Georgia	480,000 buys	$2,600,000	$1,270,000	$60k each $240k total
UFC 89 Oct. 18, 2008	Bisping vs. Leben	Birmingham, England	1.7 HH rating 2.6 mil viewers			$40k each $160k total
UFC 90 Oct. 25, 2008	Silva vs. Cote	Chicago, Illinois	300,000 buys	$2,800,000		$65k each $260k total
UFC 91 Nov. 15, 2008	Couture vs. Lesnar	Las Vegas, Nevada	920,000 buys	$4,815,675	$1,118,000	$60k each $240k total
UFC 92 Dec. 27, 2008	Evans vs. Griffin	Las Vegas, Nevada	1 mil buys	$3,468,440	$1,381,000	$60k each $180k total
UFC 93 Jan. 17, 2009	Franklin vs. Henderson	Dublin, Ireland	320,000 buys	$1,300,000		$40k each $240k total
UFC 94 Jan. 31, 2009	St. Pierre vs. B.J. Penn	Las Vegas, Nevada	920,000 (MR)	$4,290,020	$1,091,000	$65k each $325k total
UFC 95 Feb. 21, 2009	Sanchez vs. Stevenson	London, England	1.6 HH rating 2.4 mil viewers	$1,000,000		$40k each $160k total
UFC 96 March 7, 2009	Jackson vs. Jardine	Columbus, Ohio	350,000 buys	$1,800,000	$762,000	$60k each $180k total
UFC 97 April 18, 2009	Silva vs. Leites Liddell vs. Rua	Montreal, Canada	625,000 (NS)	$4,900,000		$70k each $280k total
UFC 98 May 23, 2009	Evans vs. Machida	Las Vegas, Nevada	635,000	$3,257,350	$957,000	$60k each $240k total
UFC 99 June 13, 2009	Franklin vs. Silva	Cologne, Germany	360,000 (NS)	$1,300,000		$60k each $240k total
UFC 100 July 11, 2009	Lesnar vs. Mir II Pierre vs. Alves	Las Vegas, Nevada	1.6 (MR)	$5,128,490	$1,790,000	$100k each $400k total
UFC 101 Aug. 8, 2009	Penn vs. Florian Silva vs. Griffin	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	800,000 - 1mil	$3,550,000		$60k each $240k total

NS = This thread. Confirmation requested.

MR = Michael Rome

Sources for missing entries or items which need to be updated are always appreciated.

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Comments

This one coming up looks like an interesting card, then again i am a denis kang fan.

by Riley_96 on Aug 24, 2009 2:57 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

The four interesting numbers, at least to me, are the numbers of buys on PPVs that Lesnar was apart of. It’s gone from 600k to 625k to 920k to 1.6 million. Perhaps that’s due to who he’s been facing and the rivalries that are being built between him and other guys but it’s obviously no secret that the more Lesnar wins, the more people want to watch him fight. Lesnar is the biggest cash cow in MMA history. Could you imagine what a Lesnar, GSP, Machida card could do for the UFC? Jesus. It’d probably break 2 million buys.

http://twitter.com/FlyByKnite

by FlyByKnight on Aug 24, 2009 3:05 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

to be fair UFC 100 had a bit more help then Brock. Hendo/Bisping match up from TUF, George is a pretty good draw. His next fight will be a good test of Brocks drawing power, granted he has some help from Tito, but Carwin (as much as i like him) he isnt a darw yet and is pretty much unknown to alot of casual fans.

by Riley_96 on Aug 24, 2009 3:29 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Brock will be paired with a guy like Tito or Georges until he’s able to carry a pretty horrendous card by himself. He’s almost there, believe it or not.

http://twitter.com/FlyByKnite

by FlyByKnight on Aug 24, 2009 4:17 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

By the way, the 101 number I had was between 800 and a million…according to the last observer it may have broke a million. I assume we’ll have the real number soon.

by Michael Rome on Aug 24, 2009 3:36 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I keep seeing 1.72 million for 100, where is the 1.6 coming from if I may ask?

A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.

by iiowyn on Aug 24, 2009 8:14 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Michael Rome

As noted below the table.

by dv8shun on Aug 24, 2009 9:41 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

That is why I was asking Michael Rome =)

A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.

by iiowyn on Aug 24, 2009 10:41 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I’m curious about this too.

http://www.fourouncestofreedom.com

by Beer Monster on Aug 24, 2009 1:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I have also heard 1.2 million for UFC 92 in several places.

Walla walla walla I'm an idiot.

by ufc4 on Aug 24, 2009 7:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

My number is from a cable source…I think Bryan Alvarez had the 1.72 million number. It’s still only a month, the number tends to fluctuate for a while as all the buys are actually counted instead of estimated. Anything within 10-20% fluctuation is possible on either side.

by Michael Rome on Aug 24, 2009 8:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

UFC 99

On one of the recent episodes of MMA Live they said UFC 99 sold 385 k PPVs

http://www.mmarocks.pl
https://twitter.com/mmarocks_pl

by Venom77 on Aug 24, 2009 4:27 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

The numbers the UFC is putting up are insane, the Zuffa Machine truly is running on all cylinders it really takes seeing the numbers on paper to realise what a stranglehold they have on the product and just how big their pockets and fanbase are.

by Raker on Aug 24, 2009 5:56 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

The time zone problem in England is an interesting problem.

When they are live, it’s not the right time to get people to buy ppvs, and it would guess that they get less bars showing the fights live in the middle of the afternoon. Later that night, lots of people don’tt want to watch/buy it if they know it’s not live.

Maybe the answer is to put those ones live on network TV. It probably wouldn’t do well if up against football during the fall, but I bet it would give hockey, most baseball games, NASCAR, whatever other nonsense is on Saturday or Sunday afternoons a run for their money.

The end game should definitely be getting more big Vegas shows on network TV, but putting a European show on there won’t be throwing away too much PPV revenue, and might help people get to see these showws that usually don’t do well.

by Phildo on Aug 24, 2009 7:40 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

While they dont get great buys on PPV in UK

From the US market.. I do believe they would do well outside the US market in PPV.. Since they don’t report their numbers.. It’s really hard to say..

by MMAuthority on Aug 24, 2009 9:16 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

But most of their non-US business is network-based, not PPV based. Most European fans get to watch UFC events through their cable/satellite package, not PPV. The VAST majority of the UFC’s PPV business comes from the USA and Canada.

by Steve4192 on Aug 24, 2009 10:44 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

So are Ortiz and Belfort going to go at it one more time in the year 2050?

by black dragon on Aug 24, 2009 8:49 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

It’s bizarre the way that the gate is always larger than the salaries – I’m not used to that after watching those Affliction events.

Don't believe a word I say, I don't train BJJ.
I blog at TangleBones - you should follow me on Twitter here.

by jemaleddin on Aug 24, 2009 10:15 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

one of the reasons why affliction is no longer in business.

by Riley_96 on Aug 24, 2009 10:40 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, it’s as though the UFC was basing the amount they paid people on how much money they were earning…. MADNESS.

Also, good luck to Strikeforce on that Fedor thing…

Don't believe a word I say, I don't train BJJ.
I blog at TangleBones - you should follow me on Twitter here.

by jemaleddin on Aug 24, 2009 11:06 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

To clarify here a little, Eugene asked me for numbers on shows we didn’t have confirmed numbers for, and I gave him what I heard. For most of these it’s just relaying second-hand information, not my information.

by Michael Rome on Aug 24, 2009 8:19 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs