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UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is a U.S.-based mixed martial arts organization, recognized as the largest MMA promotion in the world. The UFC is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada and is owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC. This promotion is responsible for solidifying the sport's postion in the history-books.
UFC is currently undergoing a remarkable surge in popularity, along with greater mainstream media coverage. UFC programming can now be seen on FOX, FX, and FUEL TV in the United States, as well as in 35 other countries worldwide.
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06-09-2012, 12:58 PM
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#1 (permalink)
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Speed Kills
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 15,231
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White: Florida ticket-sale issues may have UFC waiting a while for next show in state
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SUNRISE, Fla. – The UFC's return to South Florida was five years in the making. Unfortunately for area fans, it might be another five before the next visit – if not more.
UFC president Dana White, following Friday's UFC on FX 3 card at BankAtlantic Center in the Fort Lauderdale suburb of Sunrise, Fla., said he was disappointed in the turnout – and that continued trouble with ticket sales in the Florida market have him perplexed.
When reminded at the post-fight news conference that it had been a while since the UFC had been to South Florida, White quickly quipped, "It's going to be a while again."
The UFC boss said he doesn't understand the promotion's difficulty with ticket sales for events in the Florida market.
"I love it down here, but we just have a hard time selling tickets down here," White said after the post-fight news conference. "It's not that I don't like South Florida – believe me. I wish we could do more events down here. It's just a really tough market to sell tickets."
White announced a live gate of $329,110 on attendance of 6,635 for Friday's card, which featured a main-event flyweight-title-eliminator rematch between Demetrious Johnson and Ian McCall, which Johnson won by unanimous decision.
Attendance during the eight-fight preliminary card was sparse, though the seats filled in closer to the start of the main card, which aired live on the FX cable network. Preliminary fights aired on a combination of Facebook and FUEL TV.
But though the card was televised for free, meaning there were some advertising dollars to be had, White said making sure shows have robust ticket sales will always be a point of emphasis for the company.
"If we show up and get 10 people in an arena, that's not a good thing," White told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "Ticket sales are what kept us alive before we got on pay-per-view. One thing about the UFC is, before we were on pay-per-view, and even back in the dark days when this thing was burning cash, we always did sell tickets. Just not down here (in Florida). It's so weird. I don't get it."
The UFC last visited South Florida in June 2007 for a UFC Fight Night card at Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, not far from Friday's event at BankAtlantic Center, home of the NHL's Florida Panthers. And in February 2009, the UFC paid its first visit to Tampa for a UFC Fight Night at USF Sun Dome. That show had a gate of $428,000 and attendance of nearly 7,600, both of which topped Friday's card.
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http://mmajunkie.com/news/29133/whit...orida-show.mma
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06-09-2012, 01:12 PM
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#2 (permalink)
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Featherweight
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: AZ
Posts: 1,241
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South Flordia has the worst sports fans EVER!!! They don't even go to Miami Heat games and they have 2 of the best players in the world....
In Baseball...The Rays went to the World Series with like 500 fans in the stadium...Same thing back in the day with the Marlins...
At least they like thier college football  |
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06-09-2012, 01:16 PM
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#3 (permalink)
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Speed Kills
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 15,231
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TheNinja
South Flordia has the worst sports fans EVER!!! They don't even go to Miami Heat games and they have 2 of the best players in the world....
In Baseball...The Rays went to the World Series with like 500 fans in the stadium...Same thing back in the day with the Marlins...
At least they like thier college football |
Baseball in Florida isn't a great example. Team sports really aren't tbh. Too many people that have moved to Florida. When I go to watch Hockey or Baseball or whatever, teams like Boston, New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, they all have just as many if not more fans than the actual Florida teams have.
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Always Supporting
Urijah Faber - Dustin Poirier - Demian Maia - Frankie Edgar - Georges St. Pierre - Lyoto Machida - Miesha Tate
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06-09-2012, 01:23 PM
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#4 (permalink)
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Heavyweight
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 3,673
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Baseball isn't a great example just because there are so many games, and they're all back to back, but if your team is in the finals, its no excuse. Any other place have a team like the Miami Heat, the stadium would be sold out without any trouble, would be hard pressed to even get tickets. I don't know the whole deal, if even Miami has trouble getting people, because it doesn't seem like they do.
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06-09-2012, 01:43 PM
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#5 (permalink)
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Rough Sex and Banana Pudding
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Beating up fatties with Junior.
Posts: 7,930
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Florida is full of old people, that's the problem.
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06-09-2012, 03:48 PM
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#6 (permalink)
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All Eyez on Me
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: USA
Posts: 2,423
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How about putting on better cards?
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06-09-2012, 04:23 PM
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#7 (permalink)
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Amateur
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 188
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My friend and I went to the event. The upper section was covered. The rest had very scattered seating. My friend and I moved closer and closer to the cage as the fights went on because it was not even half full.
I think the main issues were that my friend and I saw no advertising leading up to the event down here. The fight card was weak without a huge name. The fights also didn't have any local South Florida fighters. We have American Top Team and the Blackzilians down here, but none of their fighters were on the card.
I also think the Hard Rock or American Airlines in Miami is better. Bank Atlantic is kinda of in a bumble **** area. I went to the Hard Rock Casino for Ortiz vs Shamrock 3 and it was packed with tons of buzz. Of course I flew from Chicago (lived there at the time) to see it and enjoy a vacation out of it as well.
My friend who I went with is a Jiu-Jitsu guy and his whole gym didn't go to it. They said they didn't know of anyone on the card. But I can say that we still had an awesome time!!
Dana White was signing loads of autographs in between fights. There were also many fighters there walking around. Chuck Liddell, Rashad Evans, Mike Chiesa (beardless so no one recognized him).
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06-09-2012, 04:43 PM
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#8 (permalink)
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Featherweight
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,050
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Spec0688
Baseball isn't a great example just because there are so many games, and they're all back to back, but if your team is in the finals, its no excuse. Any other place have a team like the Miami Heat, the stadium would be sold out without any trouble, would be hard pressed to even get tickets. I don't know the whole deal, if even Miami has trouble getting people, because it doesn't seem like they do.
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I was watching the Heat the other day and the commentators were commenting on how dead it was in the building. They were saying how the fans had no passion. The analysts at half time were saying the same thing.
Maybe it is and influx of people into the state as someone already mentioned. Retirees could also be part of it.
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06-09-2012, 06:04 PM
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#9 (permalink)
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Speed Kills
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 15,231
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ryan1522
I was watching the Heat the other day and the commentators were commenting on how dead it was in the building. They were saying how the fans had no passion. The analysts at half time were saying the same thing.
Maybe it is and influx of people into the state as someone already mentioned. Retirees could also be part of it.
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There are a lot of older people, but in places like Miami, there are more than plenty younger people. Miami is a pretty big party city that has a ton of younger people. The problem is that a very large portion of people in Florida are from somewhere else and are still fans of the teams in the states that they left.
Even myself. I mean I support a couple teams here, but at the end of the day, I like the teams that are where I am from a lot more.
__________________
Always Supporting
Urijah Faber - Dustin Poirier - Demian Maia - Frankie Edgar - Georges St. Pierre - Lyoto Machida - Miesha Tate
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06-09-2012, 06:18 PM
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#10 (permalink)
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Amateur
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 129
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Don't worry Dana, at least you're still beating soccer in one region of the world.
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White: Florida ticket-sale issues may have UFC waiting a while for next show in state
