UFC executive Dave Shaw has addressed the rumours of struggling ticket sales for the promotion’s event this weekend in Perth.
UFC Fight Night 260 is taking place this weekend in Perth, with Carlos Ulberg and Dominick Reyes going head-to-head in a light heavyweight clash in the main event.
White’s organisation have previously had huge success with UFC events in AustraliaGettyWhile the event may be drawing in the attention of Australian fans, the ticket sales are not reflecting that at the moment.
During Friday’s pre-fight press conference, the topic of ticket sales was breached by a member of the assembled media.
The UFC executive, Shaw, was asked if he had his own concerns on the matter.
In an attempt to clear the air on the matter, he replied: “Not at all.
“Listen, from the very beginning, we’ve taken the long run. We’re playing a long game with Australia. We mentioned being first here in 2010 with UFC 110.
“We opened up the office, playing the long game in 2014 when the UFC Australia office in Sydney was opened, and in 2015, we held the biggest event in UFC history with Ronda [Rousey] and Holly [Holm] in Melbourne.
“We overturned the ban of the octagon here in 2017. We had a Fight of the Year in 2023 with your boy [Alexander Volkanovski] and Islam [Makhachev].
“We will continue to take the long run in Australia.”
Despite the exec’s reassurance that all is well, a user on X posted evidence that suggests otherwise.
Shaw continued to explain: “Our viewpoint on Australia as one of the top markets that we go to every year is that this is going to be a massive sport in this country.
View Tweet: t.co/0XcYqST18H
But their latest event feels a far cry from their huge-selling successes of recent yearsGetty“This is also a pretty special card. I mean, think about us having more regional athletes, more Australian and Kiwi athletes on this card than we’ve ever had in the past.”
The event planning has not helped with a last-minute withdrawal of Oban Elliot and logistical chaos affecting plans, but nonetheless the huge card with a big list of fights will go ahead.
UFC in Australia
Previous UFC events held in Australia have been hugely successful, with White’s brand making a real splash in the region.
UFC 284 was a huge success with a sold-out crowd filling the RAC Arena in 2023 to watch Islam Makhachev outpoint Alexander Volkanovski.
And UFC 305 a year later was the biggest success of them all, with Israel Adesanya’s submission defeat to Dricus Du Plessis breaking records.
The event attracted a bumper 14,000 spectators and became the highest-grossing event in the arena’s history, surpassing previous history set by the previous fight card.
But this current crop of talented fighters appearing on the card are not going to receive quite the same fanfare.
Ulberg vs Reyes: What is at stake?
The headline act sees Ulberg and Reyes tussle for a chance to cement their name at the top end of the 205lbs rankings.
Ulberg, a New Zealand native, will be hoping to continue his impressive record, with just one defeat to Kennedy Nzechukwu which came four years ago on his debut for the promotion.
Reyes is looking to halt the favourite’s impressive winning streak and push his own name into the title mix for a shot at current champion Magomed Ankalaev.
The winner of the showdown will have a keen eye on proceedings at UFC 320 next weekend, where Ankalaev will look to fend off a revenge attempt from Alex Pereira in their second duel for the 205lbs crown.
Hence then, the article about ufc forced to issue response to poor ticket sales as latest event falls flat was published today ( ) and is available on talksport ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( UFC forced to issue response to ‘poor ticket sales’ as latest event falls flat )
Also on site :