In line with its usual counter programming tactics, the Ultimate Fighting Championship is scheduled to air a replay of the UFC 91 Couture vs. Lesnar pay-per-view on Saturday night on Spike TV.
A source MMAInsider spoke to with intimate knowledge of UFC 91 pay per view buyrates said the industry leading promotion scored more than 800,000 orders of the Nov. 15 event and stands to produce a minimum of $35,960,000 in revenue.
The source said the final number of buys would likely be higher, but even at the 800,000 level, the event splashes a lot of black ink across the UFC's balance sheets.
A final tally for UFC91 will not be available for months, as pay per view figures come in slowly due to late ordering of the event.
Combined with over $4.8 million in live gate revenue, the event was one of the most profitable events in the organization's history. It was also one of the most expensive, with over a million dollars paid out in fighter salaries and a huge advertising push on television.
To give a small, superficial example of the extravagance present at UFC 91, look at the pre-fight press luncheon. Usually, they are modestly catered, with a buffett style lunch for the handful of journalists who attend them. Not so at UFC 91. A multi-course steak dinner awaited scribes at the MGM Grand's Craftsteak, in a feast that certainly would have run up a $500 tab if paid for by itself. UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and co. "crashed" the festivities, no doubt looking to pack on some weight for an upcoming fight at light heavyweight.
Next up is UFC 92 on Dec. 27, an event typically promoted as the year's best. Without a Couture, Liddell, Ortiz, or Lesnar even, it remains to be seen whether revenue will match the Nov. 15 card, and whether it will be steak, or pizza, for lunch.
Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer has released the final gate numbers for last weekend's UFC 91 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
The final tallies are in line with UFC President Dana White's post-event quote of $4.8 million, making it the third biggest earner in Nevada's list of top MMA gates. Chuck Liddell's second encounter with Tito Ortiz at UFC 66 remains at the top of the list with $5,397,300 in revenue, trailed by Georges St. Pierre's rubber match with Matt Hughes at UFC 79 with $4,994,050.
Here are the final numbers for UFC 91:
Live Gate: $4, 815, 675
Tickets Sold: 10,845
"Comp" Tickets: 3, 427
Early pay per view numbers have not been released on the show, but speculation has indicated the UFC may miss its anticipated figure of 1.2 million buys.
Still, $4.8 million is nothing to sneeze at, especially in this wintry economy.
The latest episode of Inside MMA (Episode #245) on HDNet features WEC featherweight champion Mike Brown, rising heavyweight Dave Herman, and MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas, as well as the breakdown of UFC 91 Couture vs. Lesnar.
Longtime WWE commentator and noted mixed martial arts fan, Jim Ross, posted commentary on his personal blog about the win last Saturday night by former professional wrestler turned MMA fighter, Brock Lesnar and his win over Randy Couture to become the new UFC heavyweight champion.
Brock Lesnar was "The Next Big Thing" at one time in the WWE and he is definitely "The Next Big Thing" today in the UFC. I expect Lesnar to continue to improve his MMA skills with his burning desire to be the best in his field. The self proclaimed purists of the MMA world can like it or not but for sure they will keep buying tickets and pay per views to see one of their own destroy Lesnar.
Ross has been a supporter of MMA for many years, and has always provided great insight into both the world of professional wrestling, and his love of the sport of MMA.
Ross' employers at the WWE took the opportunity to promote Lesnar as the first man to hold both the WWE and UFC belts, while also taking a shot at the UFC and it's decision to show the entire preliminary card on PPV, something most MMA fans have been ecstatic about:
Critics have noted that many of the fights on the UFC pay-per-view ended in the first round, leaving UFC producers scrambling to fill the three-hour event with content. The dearth of hearty competition left many viewers to watch less prestigious under-card fights and only served to bolster claims that UFC pay-per-view events can often be a "crap shoot" in regards to filling the full three hours.
UFC President Dana White presents the 7th edition of his video blog for UFC 91.
In this episode, B.J. Penn and Georges St. Pierre join Dana just moments before they officially announce their UFC 94 bout, we get a behind the scenes visit to the locker rooms of UFC 91, live at the event, and behind the scenes after the event including Dana's impromptu interview of Junie Browning... and the ESPN sports desk at UFC 91.
UFC President Dana White presents the 6th edition of his video blog for UFC 91.
In this episode, Dana attends the UFC weigh-ins, talks to ESPN.com's MMA Live crew, follows an unfortunate trip by a UFC owner, and talks to Everlast and DJ Lethal from House of Pain.
Wow! According to Lance Pugmire of the L.A. Times, the Nevada State Athletic Commission already released the salary figures for UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture and challenger Brock Lesnar.
Both fighters are guaranteed a base of $250,000. If Couture wins, he gets an additional $250,000 in win money. For Lesnar, he would earn an extra $200,000.
Remember, this is the salary information that is required to be filed with state athletic commissions. There are often other types of performance and/or pay-per-view bonuses and other forms of compensation that are not required to be reported. Plus, with a fight of this magnitude, both are likely scoring big with sponsors.
UFC President Dana White presents the 5th edition of his video blog for UFC 91.
In this episode, Dana holds court at the UFC 91 pre-fight press conference, takes viewers behind the scenes with the production crew, continues his media onslaught, checks a cut on Rich Franklin's right eye, harasses Kenny Florian, and breaks from his hard boiled egg diet.
ESPN's MMA Live was live at the UFC 91 weigh-ins on Friday, broadcasting with the Octagon as the backdrop for the show. They discussed the Randy Couture vs. Brock Lesnar and Kenny Florian vs. Joe Stevenson bouts with UFC president Dana White.
ESPN has been all over UFC 91, providing an unprecedented amount of coverage for the event. We'll see if this an anomoly or if the venerable sports network is committed to now cover MMA.
UFC President Dana White presents the 4th edition of his video blog for UFC 91.
In this episode, Dana does an episode of "Jim Rome Is Burning" on ESPN, a few more media interviews getting ready for UFC 91, and presents a very special tombstone littered with the promotions that have gone head to head with the UFC.
Dana proclaims "I'm the grim reaper mother (expletive)."
ESPN's MMA Live is at UFC 91 and host Jim Anik and guest host Frank Mir are on the scene to break down the main event between UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture and challenger Brock Lesnar.
UFC President Dana White talks to famed sports talk show host, Jim Rome, about the upcoming UFC 91 event, as well as Kimbo Slice, and the sport of MMA in comparison to the sport of boxing.
"Ultimate Fighter" season 7 winner, Amir Sadollah, issued a letter through his management website at Suckerpunchent.com, about his recent withdraw from his UFC 91 fight against Nick Catone.
Sadollah continues to spend time in the hospital for his injury and fans are encouraged to leave comments here and on the Suckerpunch Entertainment website that Amir will be reading while in his recovery.
Here is the letter:
To all my fans, I really appreciate all the support you have sent my way and I am so sorry I am not able to fight this weekend. I trained harder for this than any other fight in my life and I was looking forward to this more than you know.
It started on friday with a small mark on my leg. I immediately went to the doctor and he gave me medication and told me if it got worse to go to the hospital. Well, it got worse and on Sunday I went in and have been here ever since. I am hoping they will discharge me by Thursday.
I am very sorry if I disappointed anyone. A lot of work by a lot of people went into this. For it to end with something totally out of my control makes it difficult to swallow. I will be back in the gym as soon as possible and will be ready to fight as soon as Joe Silva can get me back in.
I’d like to thank my coaches, trainers, SuckerPunch, fans and sponsors (TapouT, Sprawl, THQ/UFC Undisputed 2009 and HelpingHealthClubs.com) for their support. Nobody is more disappointed than me. I appreciate everything everyone put into this and can only look forward to getting back in the octagon as soon as possible.
UFC President Dana White presents his second video blog for UFC 91 weekend.
In this edition, Dana visits THQ, the makers of the new UFC video game, and gives an inside look as some of the graphics involved with the new game. Also catch Dana giving his breakdown of Couture vs. Lesnar in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.
UFC lightweight contender and MMA Live correspondent Kenny "KenFlo" Florian provided his expert opinion to MMAWeekly Radio breaking down the UFC 91 main event between Randy "The Natural" Couture and Brock Lesnar, and picks Couture to be the victor.
"It's going to come down to Randy's experience vs. Brock's size and power game." said the Bostonian. "First of all, I have to say this, you can never bet against Randy Couture. I think it's a sin and you're probably going to lose a lot of money. Randy's been proving people wrong since day one. I love him for that because I've kind of been in the same boat. You've got to love the underdog.
"Randy is undersized. He's coming back. He's an older guy. But I think his experience is going to win out. I really believe that," further commented Florian. "I think with his wrestling ability, again, as much as Brock has been an All-American wrestler, Randy has wrestled at the international level. He's on Olympic teams. I think that says a lot.
"The guy, since day one, has faced big guys. He's fought in the heavyweight division. He's fought in the light heavyweight division against tremendous competitors. I think that's just a tremendous amount of experience," added the 32-year-old lightweight fighter. "So, for Brock, if he wins, I think that's a huge upset despite the age difference, despite the size. I still think it's a huge upset. I expect Randy to win it out. I think he's got more experience. I think he's got the better all-around skills.
"I don't think he's as powerful as Brock," conceded Florian. "I don't think he's going to hit as hard as Brock, but overall I think he has the better skills. It's going to be a very, very interesting fight. Randy's going to have to use a lot of tools to win, but I think it's going to be his experience that wins out."
ESPN First Take sat down with UFC president Dana White to break down UFC 91, where UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture will defend against Brock Lesnar. They talk about the UFC's expectations for 1.2 million pay-per-view buys, Brock Lesnar's moodiness, ESPN's coverage of the UFC, Kimbo Slice, steroids, and more.
UFC President Dana White returns for his UFC 91 video blog.
In this edition, Dana visits the Tony Hawk Foundation and talks with Anthony Kiedes from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, WEC fighter Urijah Faber, and rapper 50 Cent, while talking Randy Couture vs Brock Lesnar along the way.
Heading into an important fight at UFC 91 - a fight that should boost the winner into title contention - Joe "Daddy" Stevenson got a big boost from his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor over the weekend. Robert Drysdale awarded Stevenson his black belt on Saturday.
Both Stevenson and Florian have only one loss since their respective moves into the UFC's lightweight division. Stevenson's only loss was at the hands of current lightweight champion B.J. Penn, while Florian's was to former champ Sean Sherk.
The winner is likely to get a shot at the title once B.J. Penn is done with his mega-fight against Georges St. Pierre on Super Bowl weekend.
UFC lightweight contender Joe "Daddy" Stevenson takes on Kenny Florian at UFC 91 in a No. 1 contenders match. Stevenson weighed in on the main event between two-time UFC light heavyweight and three-time UFC heavyweight titleholder Randy "The Natural" Couture and WWE superstar turned mixed martial artist Brock Lesnar.
"I'm picking Randy Couture," Stevenson told MMAWeekly Radio. "Taking nothing away from Brock Lesnar, I'm not the guy who says he's a WWE wrestler. I'm a guy that says he's a national champ wrestler in division one college... I think he's going to be a dominating force. But I just don't know if this is his time right now. But you never know until someone makes that great appearance.
"He's (Lesnar) got a lot of attributes. I think he's still a little bit young in the sport" added Stevenson. "And I think Randy has the experience to be able to take this fight whereever it ends up. Even if Randy gets on his back, I think he's changed so much as an athlete that he can either scramble to get up, or look for submission opportunities to make himself stand up, or to even reverse the position.
"I know he's (Couture) comfortable in there. There's not a position there in that fight that Randy's going to feel overwhelmed. Randy's been fighting forever."
The gang at FOX News Fight Game weighs in on Randy Couture vs. Brock Lesnar at UFC 91. Despite Lesnar's inexperience, the pundits are going back and forth on this one and the guys at FOX are no different as they get pretty intense in their discussion.
ESPN.com's MMA Live is back for another week and this time around the crew talks about UFC 91, reviews the WEC event from Wednesday night, and follows up on the news and notes around MMA.
Believe it or not, a company that primarily specializes in basketball related shoes and apparel is sponsoring Nate Quarry, beginning with his UFC 91 fight on Nov. 15 against Demian Maia.
Say what?
Yes, it's true. According to a report by Mike Chiappetta on NBC Sports, And1 has decided to sponsor Quarry even though he can't even where the shoes in the Octagon.
"On paper it almost makes no sense whatsoever. I can't wear basketball shoes into the octagon," Quarry told Chiappetta with a laugh. "But And1 believes it's great exposure for their overall brand."
"Certainly, this is a basketball brand, but we have to be willing to throw traditional logic out the door and capitalize on opportunities,” said Rod Keller of And1. “More and more athletes like Steve Blake train with MMA training methods. It's a phenomenal workout. So is there a correlation to basketball? Yes. Is it logical? No."
Keller indicated that they are a small company that likes to work with "unique" and upstanding individuals, and felt that Quarry fit the mold. And1 is wants to reach the MMA crowd and they're going to use Quarry and his exposure in the UFC to make their breach into the market.
November 15 is the day that Randy Couture, UFC heavyweight champion, finally returns to the Octagon. Despite his challenger, Brock Lensar's lack of professional experience, Couture is taking his much larger opponent very seriously and it shows in this training video from Xtreme Couture.
Georges St. Pierre was a guest recently Fox News Fight Game. The UFC welterweight champion discussed his thoughts on rematching B.J. Penn on Super Bowl weekend, the upcoming bout between UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture and Brock Lesnar at UFC 91, Matt Hughes, gorwing up and his beginnings in mixed martial arts, and much, much more.
This is a really good interview with St. Pierre that especially goes in depth about his training and various aspects of martial arts and how things apply to MMA.
At the Nevada State Athletic Commision meetin on Wednesday, the Commission determined that Mario Yamasaki would be the referee in charge of the action when UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture defends his belt against Brock Lesnar at UFC 91 on Nov. 15 in Las Vegas.
Also called to work for the bout were judges Jeff Mullen, Cecil Peoples, and Tony Weeks.
The bout marks Couture's return to the Octagon following more than a year mired in legal battles with the promotion.
The winner between Couture and Lesnar will face the winner of the bout between interim champion Antinio Rodrigo Nogueira and challenger Frank Mir, who are fighting on Dec. 27 at UFC 92. That unification bout will likely take place in early 2009.
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