MMA Junkie reports on Dana White’s reaction to the gate on Wednesday night events. UFC Fight Night 35 drew 5,822 and a live gate of $231,951.
Dana White admitted that Wednesday night shows are a tough draw however he believed that it would be a complimentary lead-in for TUF Nations on FS1 which debuted after the UFC event. According to MMA Junkie, UFC Fight Night represented average revenue of $39.84 per ticket issued.
Via MMA Junkie:
“These Wednesday night ones are tough,” White told MMAjunkie. “But we have ‘TUF Nations,’ which was launching (Wednesday). And it’s always better when you roll into one of those ‘TUF’ (debuts) with a live fight. You’re going to take your lumps on the gate sometimes, but it’s worth it in the big picture.”
Payout Perspective:
This should be no surprise to anyone that the attendance on a weeknight for a B-level show is less than stellar. One can read between the lines and see that these events are mainly for television so it’s obviously willing to take the hit with attendance. But the complaint is the arena shots on TV of empty seats. To combat this, the UFC could either 1) offer cheaper tickets for weekday “Fight Night” shows, or 2) offer the tickets free. This is all about aesthetics for the event. So, if the UFC is only concerned about its television programming, it need not do anything. But, if it wants to create an atmosphere for these events, it should address the issue for future Wednesday events.
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