As we get ready for UFC 185, we take a look at whether Anthony Pettis can be a future PPV draw for the company. This will be the first event where Pettis will be the advertised main draw for a PPV.
For UFC 181 this past December, Pettis co-headlined with Johny Hendricks-Robbie Lawler II as the last fight on the card. Arguably, Pettis was the most impressive on the card scoring a submission against the former Strikeforce Champ Gilbert Melendez.
The good news for this PPV is that Johny Hendricks will be on the card fighting Matt Brown as well as the inaugural defense of the women’s strawweight title. Despite the lack of superstar power as we had with the previous 3 PPVs, this is a solid UFC card with 3 very good fights at the top. You might also add Alistair Overeem versus Roy Nelson and the interest of seeing former Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo and you have a PPV that you may be ok with spending $60 on.
The draw of this PPV has to be Pettis (although the women’s fight should be entertaining). He has the looks and talent to be one of the top draws for the UFC. Pettis already has the individual sponsorships from Reebok and Wheaties. He’s also donned the box of cereal maker as well. A big part of the UFC’s Embedded series for this event was Pettis preparing for the fight.
Previous UFC PPVs with Pettis in co-main or main event
UFC 164 vs. Benson Henderson – 270,000 PPV buys
UFC 181 vs. Gilbert Melendez – 400,000 PPV buys
The PPV buys are not too impressive right now but with the right promotion for Showtime, he can be a true superstar for the UFC. One need only reference the “Showtime Kick” to know that he has an appealing fighting style that can attract fans. And if you recall his backstory from “World of Jenks,” he’s overcome a lot in his personal life to be where he is now. Will this equate to a following that would be willing to automatically purchase UFC PPVs when he’s fighting?
Solid interest in UFC 185?
Looking at ticket sales for this event, there are still a number of seats available on Ticketmaster as of Friday afternoon. The “get in” price for the event was $66.72 although the highest price on the secondary market was $1,400. The seats on the primary market are scattered throughout the arena so we will see if there will be a good walk-up for the event that could push this event near a sellout.
Previous Attendance for UFC PPVs at American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX
UFC 103 – September 9, 2009 – Rich Franklin-Vitor Belfort Attendance 17,428, Gate: $2.4M
UFC 171 – March 15, 2014 – Johny Hendricks-Robbie Lawler Attendance 19,324, Gate: $2.6M
UFC 185 – March 14, 2015 – Pettis–Dos Anjos ?
Notably, the official capacity for the AAC in Dallas is 18,500. But, based on UFC 171, the configurations for the UFC probably allow for more seats. With Hendricks on the card, one might expect the strong attendance.
Payout Perspective:
Anthony Pettis has all the look, swag, talent and ability to be a major superstar for the UFC. The only thing that has held him back has been injuries. If Pettis can keep healthy, he can become an anchor athlete to headline UFC PPVs in the future. We shall see if Pettis can keep the 2015 UFC PPV momentum going.
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