UFC 284 is quite a significant and remarkable event for the company. A truly unprecedented fight will headline the Australia PPV. P4P #1 and 2, Alexander Volkanovski and Islam Makhahcev, respectively, will square off in the main event. This is also Makhachev’s first defense of his lightweight belt after winning it back in October.
UFC President, Dana White said, UFC 284 is on course to break all records ever set in Australia and New Zealand. White said, “It’s a monster fight and just the gate alone out there is gonna be a [Madison Square Garden]-type gate.” This is quite a considerable feat in itself, considering, even the average MSG gate for UFC events hovers around $5 million.
“It’s beating all the fights of its type and it’s probably going to beat the record for pay-per-view in Australia and New Zealand. The UFC, our record, which was Conor and somebody. But it looks like it’s going to break that record. It’s a monster fight.” White continued. He claimed that the record which was previously held by a Conor McGregor card would be shattered by UFC 284.
This UFC event will also probably also end up dwarfing the gate of UFC 243 which saw Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker as headliners. However, Izzy will take solace in the fact that he still holds the UFC attendance record. However, it is still difficult to envision it breaking the UFC 205 gate record of $17,700,00 in spite of Dana’s claims.
What is the highest gate for a UFC event in Australia?
The UFC is no stranger to hosting massive events in the land down under. They have posted some remarkable numbers when it comes to hosting MMA events in Australia. The aforementioned fight between Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker drew an astounding live audience of 57,127 fans. That record was previously 56,214.
#AndNew UFC bantamweight champion of the world @_HollyHolm!Presented by #TombRaider #UFC193 https://t.co/4FKDuDNFpG pic.twitter.com/knVAe52dZ7
— UFC (@ufc) November 15, 2015
UFC 193, headlined by Ronda Rousey and Holly Holm held the attendance record earlier. Rousey and Holm still hold the UFC’s Australia gate record though. UFC 193 generated around $6.8 million, nearly a million more than UFC 243’s $5,478,345. Holm’s head-kick KO of Rousey also led to their fight having the highest PPV buys of any Australia event.
The PPV buys of UFC 193 are estimated to be around 1.1 million which is double UFC 243’s estimated 550,000 PPV buys. However, Dana White’s claims see Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski shattering those records. And despite Islam’s complaints about the fight’s promotion, he will take delight in breaking the UFC’s Australia gate and PPV record alongside P4P #1, Alexander Volkanovski.
What do you make of Dana White’s comments? Do you think UFC 284 will provide one of the biggest gates ever? Let us know in the comments down below.
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