UFC President Dana White said that Saturday night's UFC 189, headlined by Conor McGregor-Chad Mendes, was the "biggest show" in every way, "in every metric save for attendance, which was announced as 16,019," according to Dave Pollard of POSTMEDIA NETWORK. The fight at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas was the "biggest live event in UFC history," with a gate of $7.2M and PPV sales that could top" 1 million buys. It was "bigger than some of the most-hyped fights in company history, even UFC 100, possibly the seminal moment in MMA history." White said, "This was bigger than everything we did. Roll everything out and it was bigger." Pollard wrote the UFC "has no one person to thank for the massive influx of cash and, more than likely a whole bunch of new fight fans, more than ... McGregor, an arrogant, money-making, box office-boosting, trash-talking showman with a cool accent who seemingly has the backing of everyone who considers themselves Irish." McGregor said, "Right now I'm running the game" (POSTMEDIA.com, 7/12). YAHOO SPORTS' Kevin Iole wrote it was perhaps the "most enthralling, action-packed, exciting main card in the sport’s history," and it "ended with the emergence of a mega-star." The fight drew the "largest attended weigh-in in UFC history, with more than 11,000 fans," and it was "all for the coronation of the sport’s new king." McGregor "carried the show from start to the amazing finish, building it with his words and punctuating it with his fists" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 7/12). In Las Vegas, Matt Youmans wrote McGregor "has the biggest mouth" in the UFC, "and that’s a good thing." His quotes "make the media’s job easy," and the "hype he creates makes his fights an easy sell for promoters." The "emotions he inspires makes fans pay attention" (REVIEWJOURNAL.com, 7/12). Also in Las Vegas, Case Keefer wrote UFC 189 "marked the beginning of a new era" for UFC, as the organization "debuted an improved broadcast production, Reebok fighter uniforms and an expanded drug-testing regimen." Keefer: "Most important, the promotion crowned the man who's suddenly become its biggest star" (LAS VEGAS SUN, 7/12).
PLANNING A PARTY: The SUN's Keefer reported UFC 200 will take place next July 2 at the new Las Vegas Arena, which "will be scaled to fit 20,000 fans for fights." While it is too soon to speculate on fights, UFC 100 "is the likely template." The July '09 card "featured title fights with the sport's two biggest stars -- Brock Lesnar defeated Frank Mir while Georges St. Pierre beat Thiago Alves -- and reportedly sold a record 1.6 million pay-per-views" (LAS VEGAS SUN, 7/11).
