UFC 127 is in the books and a fine time was had by all, except those hoping that Michael Bisping would behave himself. For the 18,186 fans who filled the sold out Acer Arena to the tune of a gate of $3.5 million it was a rare chance to see Octagon action down under.
The UFC cut bonus checks of $75,000 to:
- Fight of the Night: Chris Lytle and Brian Ebersole
- Submission of the Night: Kyle Noke
- Knock Out of the Night: Mark Hunt
The UFC's executive in charge of international expansion, Marshall Zelaznik commented on the possibilities for further Australian UFC's at the post-fight press conference, per MMA Junkie:
The reported figures represent an average revenue of $192.46 per ticket sold.
The numbers marked a significant increase over the $2.5 million reported gate generated by the 17,831 attendees to the UFC's 2010 debut in Australia.
...
"There's an Arena here in Australia in Melbourne, the Etihad, which has a roof. It's about 55,000 (seats). I have no doubt that if we can figure out the issue with Victoria that that would be a place for an event that I think would sell-out just as quickly as Toronto."