UFC 129's Success in Toronto Is Huge For Dana White and Zuffa
by Nate Wilcox on Feb 11, 2011 2:09 PM EST
in UFC Analysis
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The news came out yesterday evening that the UFC has already sold more than 42,000 tickets for UFC 129 in Toronto. Their Ontario debut at the Rogers Centre is now assured of being the biggest live crowd in UFC history. The event will feature Georges St Pierre defending his welterweight crown against Jake Shields and GSP's fellow Canadian Mark Hominick challenging Jose Aldo for the UFC's featherweight crown.
Zach Arnold thinks this is big big doings:
You don't think selling 40,000+ tickets, scalpers or not, for the April 30th show at the Sky Dome (Rogers Centre) is big? Of course it is. Not that this comes as any surprise to usgiven that I predicted 10 months ago that a show with GSP would easily outdraw the Blue Jays (and it has).
There was great consternation that the Sky Dome was too big of a facility for the UFC to run their debut in Ontario and that they should run the Air Canada Centre. I didn't buy into that idea because Ontario, along with other major Canadian cities, have been huge PPV-buying markets for the UFC. Naturally, UFC was going to draw big for their first foray into Toronto. I will say that it is quite astonishing just how fast tickets are selling, which is a good thing.
UFC must be hoping and praying for Georges St. Pierre to beat Jake Shields. If the fight is ugly but GSP wins, that's one thing. If Shields wins and it's exciting, that's a crapshoot. If Shields wins and it's ugly, then I don't know how hot Toronto would stay as a live-event market. Ultimately, the goal is for St. Pierre to win and look strong so that the ‘dream match-up' between him and Anderson Silva happens in Toronto.
Sports Net Canada has more:
It's safe to say the record of 23,152, set by UFC 124 at The Bell Centre in Montreal, has been easily smashed.
In speaking with the organization, initial ticket sales through "Fight Club" members have pushed the original prediction of 42,000 seats, to a grander number in the mid-forty thousands.
While many, including yours truly, would like to see them push towards 50,000 tickets or more, the final number is expected to be around 45,000.
Keep in mind that due to the heavy scalping of UFC tickets it's entirely possible that there will be empty seats come April, but so far, so good.
The Toronto Sun reported on the already heavy scalping:
Some of those who managed to buy tickets Thursday were quick to put them up for resale. One seller offered eight side-by-side seats in Section 115 -- face value of $150 each -- for $4,500 or $562.50 each.
Another on Craigslist offered two $50 tickets for $175 each "or highest bidder.
Tickets also appeared on Stubhub, a ticket reseller.
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Sorry to those who couldn't get tickets
But I was there from 9:55 just hitting refresh.. refresh.. refresh until they came available and I got my 4 tickets. My first live UFC and I’m traveling all the way from the Cayman Islands for it (couldn’t miss the first UFC stadium show with GPS in Canada)!!!!
Good for Zach Arnold. He predicted the UFC would outsell the Blue Jays. According to ESPN, the Jays only average 20,068 per home game. That’s clearly not that high a bar to surpass. He was still right though he didn’t get out on too shaky a limb.
I did not see this posted on BE
But I’m reading the Hamill/Davis fight might be scrapped for 129.
Fire Gus "What's a screen?" Bradley.
If Zach thinks that..
If Shields wins and it’s ugly, then I don’t know how hot Toronto would stay as a live-event market.
… then he doesn’t understand the Canadian fans. As much as many of them love GSP, they love the sport more, and as a group I would say are better versed with the nuances of the sport than most places. I would say that they’d be amongst the first to actually cheer a ground game, though admittedly not against GSP.
A sloppy Shields win wouldn’t put a dent in future ticket sales here.
Absolutely correct. Canadian love for MMA does NOT revolve around GSP. It revolves around the love for the sport.
Still a Beer Monster.
http://www.instrength.com
Honestly
What would happen if Jake Shields pulled a rabbit out of his and beat GSP. I’m pretty sure everyone in that arena would riot.
Sure, he’s a favorite, people are gonna be pissed that he lost. But Toronto isn’t going to be diminished as a market just because GSP lost his title there. GSP didn’t even need to be on this card for it to sell out. They could have headlined with JDS/Lesnar or something, and they could next time even if GSP loses, and they’ll sell out.
Still a Beer Monster.
http://www.instrength.com
Is Shields wins on a bad stoppage
the fans will riot. Maybe not as surely as they would have in Montreal, but probably.
I like using semi-colons; they make me feel smart.
The UFC should do GSP vs Silva in the Montreal Olympic stadium. Concert capacity of 78 000.
Keep Firing, Assholes!
Time to put some meat in your pain sandwich.
are u serious? that would be a good place although I dont think silva would like to do that to much
I think it should be somewhere neutral like cowboys stadium , now that would be freakin awesome.
UFC 129 and the nature of Toronto Fans
The success of the UFC in T Dot (as it is known to locals) is not GSP dependent. Sure they love the local golden boy but they could probably sell out a Fight Night in that place headlined by a castoff like Brandon Vera or Gabe Rudiger.
A quick look at the GTA MMA connection by the numbers:
Its important to remember that Toronto is actually huge. There are something like 7 million people that live within 100 miles of that stadium, and the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) is pretty darn wealthy. For Americans not in the know, its basically the largest Metro area in not-Mexican North America after Chicago. We’re talking 18 lane highways here.
Furthermore, I once heard a quote that almost 1 quarter of Sherdog visitors came from Ontario IP addresses. Bars are packed for fights including the flagship Real Sports Bar and Grille which is owned by the Toronto Maple Leafs parent company and housed in its plaza. When the UFC is on, the Leafs (A religion in Toronto) are not the primary draw, the UFC is. Driving along suburban streets you can see signs advertising bars that show UFC.
There is no comparable market for MMA in the US or anywhere in the world. Even GSP’s home town of Montreal cannot compete with Toronto for fan intensity and general knowledge of MMA.
The best example I can give about how well the UFC has taken hold in Toronto comes from the recent event at the Rogers Centre.
There were THOUSANDS of people at the signing and Q&A…… and most of them were dressed like actual people. GSP was there so there was some Affliction action and a few Fleur De Lys fitted Ts but very little Tapout and douchebag MMA gear in evidence.
That’s right, the UFC in T.O. is not some strange subculture dominated by dudes in freaky MMA gear, Its a mainstream thing enjoyed by all kinds. Its so popular in fact, that it has transended the gayest aspect of the culture which is dressing like Ronnie from the Jersey Shore. Nobody’s looking for blood and technical aspects of the game are seemingly well understood.
People in Toronto are often accused of thinking they live in the Center of the Universe. (New Yorkers.. you may chuckle) When it comes to MMA… they really are.
As a proud Montrealer and huge MMA fan this bothers me a bit but its the truth. *Sigh I guess just need to get used to it.
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