Welcome to another edition of Payout Perspective. This time we take a look at UFC 206 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario Canada.
Holloway stops Showtime for Interim Featherweight title
With Anthony Pettis missing weight, Max Holloway was the only fighter that could have won the interim title. Pettis claimed to have broken his hand on the first punch of the fight. It appeared that may have been the case as Holloway seemed to control the fight. He eventually made Pettis quit in the third round.
Holloway gets a chance to unify the interim title with a fight against Jose Aldo. However, it would be nice to see a rematch against Conor McGregor. It does not seem that that fight will not happen. Yet, the Aldo match should be real good and we can have an actual champion at 145.
As for Pettis, he has lost 4 out of his last 5 and will move back up to lightweight. Pettis is in a fight slump and needs to get back on the winning track. It will be hard going back to lightweight.
Cerrone stops Brown with kick
It was the second-best fight of the night as Donald Cerrone and Matt Brown did not disappoint with their matchup on Saturday night. Cerrone was able to get in head-kicks on Brown but Brown battle back and stung Cowboy with a couple shots. However, in the third round, Cerrone got in another well-placed head-kick to Brown which knocked him out.
Cerrone should move up the ladder in the welterweight division while Brown’s showing should still keep him a main card fighter.
Despite losing a light heavyweight title fight, the fans in Toronto came to watch the fights. It was another sellout at Air Canada Centre with 18,057 In attendance. The gate drew $1,843,101 US dollars. It was the fourth sellout for a UFC PPV in Toronto.
The bonuses went to Max Holloway, Lando Vannata, Cub Swanson and Doo Ho Choi. Holloway and Vannata earned performance bonuses for their stoppages while Swanson and Choi put on the Fight of the Night.
Cerrone could have earned a $50,000 for his head kick finish as well. Interesting that he did not receive one and just a week prior he appeared with the MMAAA.
Sponsorships
The most notable sponsor of the night was the Government of Ontario which had a spot during the “Tale of the Tape” on the PPV. According to a Bloody Elbow report, Ontario paid $150,000 for sponsoring the event. The question of a conflict arose as to how the government could sponsor the event while its Office of the Athletics Commissioner regulated the event. It would seem not to be a direct conflict since it would be two different departments within the government. Ontario, as a sponsor, likely saw this as tourism exposure which could help the local industry. Ontario, as a regulating body, would ensure the integrity of the sport and safety of the fighters. There would not seem to be any conflict between the two.
The sponsors in the Octagon included Bud Light, Toyo Tires, Reebok, Monster Energy, 7-11, Harley Davidson, UFC Fight Pass and Monster Energy had the center.
Bud Light Living sponsored the Embedded Episodes.
Monster logos were on the shorts of both Donald Cerrone and Anthony Pettis. Cerrone held the Monster can for the camera when his hand was raised in victory.
Odds and ends
Cub Swanson-Doo Ho Choi put on one of the best fights of the year. Cerrone-Brown followed the fight and was almost as good.
The Ronda Rousey promo for UFC 207 was aired throughout the PPV.
The Embedded episodes did a good job of getting Max Holloway over as a major fighter. He seemed to become more comfortable in front of the camera and played to the Toronto crowd.
The Ontario Athletic Commission forced Emil Meek to cut his beard per commission rules.
Why was Donald Cerrone preparing for the fight in Cabo San Lucas with Joe Schilling? Interesting that the “BMF” tattoo on his neck was fake but the black eye was real.
Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson was hanging out with the Toronto Blue Jays’ Josh Donaldson at the fights.
Conclusion
While this was a very good main card, it’s unlikely that it did well with PPV buys. There were only 200,000 google searches for “UFC 206” on Friday which likely means a low buy rate. The cancellation of the light heavyweight title fight between Daniel Cormier and Anthony Johnson took a lot out of the steam for promotion. Pettis missing weight probably did little to add more damage to the PPV buy rate but it likely didn’t help. Despite a strong attendance, the PPV buy rate for this event will be between 250,000 to 275,000 buys.
One of the big things about UFC 206 in my opinion was that it was a successful live event. As an attendee, I can tell you the people in the arena were very energetic and were pleased with the show. This can only be a good thing for the UFC as they did not have any major stars on the card. I think the key for the UFC going forward is to mimic the model that Scott Coker used by bringing local stars on the fight card. Something that the UFC did well with this event.
I don’t think the PPV numbers will be great, but the card overall will be a successful one business wise as the payouts will be low and the Ontario government essentially sponsored the event.