UFC's debut in N.Y. on Saturday delivered an "even bigger show" than expected, as UFC 205 at MSG drew a sold out crowd of 20,427 and a live gate of $17.7M, the "biggest in UFC history by more than $5 million," according to Mark La Monica of NEWSDAY. The gate also "broke the record for a sporting event" at MSG, which had been $13.5M from the Evander Holyfield-Lennox Lewis fight in '99. UFC President Dana White said that UFC 205 "broke their pay-per-view record but didn’t provide the figures" (NEWSDAY, 11/14). ESPN.com's Arash Markazi noted the average ticket price was "commanding more than $1,000 and floor tickets [were] fetching as much as $15,000 on the secondary market." It proved to be the "hottest ticket" in N.Y., "beating out the Broadway phenomenon 'Hamilton' for at least one weekend" (ESPN.com, 11/13). YAHOO SPORTS' Kevin Iole wrote the crowd was "somewhat disappointing," as there were "large patches of empty seats throughout the undercard, and there weren't many huge, sustained roars during the main card that have been heard in other arenas." While UFC 205 was "hardly the greatest show ever, as it was billed," the event was an "example of what MMA at its highest level can be." Iole: "This was a win for MMA, for fair play, and for fighters who dreamed for years of competing in what is known as the world’s most famous arena" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 11/13).
SEE YOU SOON: In N.Y., George Willis wrote Conor McGregor's KO victory over Eddie Alvarez in UFC 205's main event was a "dramatic finish to a dramatic week during which McGregor was the biggest star on Broadway and closed the show leaving fans wanting an encore." Perhaps it will "come at UFC 209, which is scheduled for Feb. 11 at Barclays Center." UFC 205 "might have been a long time coming, but it proved to be worth the wait, an entertaining and polished production that was sometimes bloody, often brutal, but thoroughly entertaining for those who enjoy combat sports." The event "left those who paid as much as $8,000 for tickets feeling like they got their money’s worth." UFC Senior VP/Government & Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner, referring to the long process of getting MMA legalized in New York, said, "It feels like the longest pregnancy ever" (N.Y. POST, 11/13). USA TODAY's Martin Rogers noted the UFC "will be back in New York" and in "much shorter order than 20 years." WME-IMG bought the UFC "for a reason, and the imminent New York comeback was part of it." Rogers: "There is money to be made here, and time to make up for" (USATODAY.com, 11/13).
WHAT IT WAS LOOKING FOR: USA TODAY's Rogers notes UFC 205 "needed to go off with a bang," and the promotion "got what it desired." For all the "excellent entertainment" that was on show, McGregor is the "reason that UFC 205 broke records at the box office and on the pay per view spreadsheets." He has an "astute business mind" that "lies behind the noisy soundbites and left hooks." The UFC is "in a new era," and the $4B WME-IMG paid for the promotion "came with an expectation of a lucrative return." Riding the McGregor wave is the "best way to achieve that, but a price must be paid for it." Rogers: "McGregor promises to give plenty in return, both in terms of entertainment and revenue, and so far he has always backed up his words" (USA TODAY, 11/14).
EXPECTING A PHONE CALL: ESPN.com's Brett Okamoto noted McGregor expects WME-IMG to "reach out to him." He said after Saturday's fight, "They've got to come talk to me now. No one has come talk to me since the sale (in July) happened -- as a businessman. Who owns the company? People have shares of the company, celebrities. Conan O'Brien owns the UFC these days. Where's my share? Where's my equity? If I'm the one bringing this, they've got to come talk to me. That's all I know. You want me to stick around and keep doing what I'm doing? I want what I deserve. What I've earned" (ESPN.com, 11/13). McGregor "chastised the UFC ownership for not immediately presenting him" with the light- and featherweight title belts, both of which he now holds. McGregor: "Where the [expletive] is my second belt? Where is the second belt? Cheap [expletive]. $4.2 billion this company sold for and they want to take that one off me already” (USATODAY.com, 11/13).
THE FACE WHO RUNS THE PLACE: In N.Y., Victor Mather noted MSG "roared every time" McGregor "appeared in a promo on the big screen." Those cheers "were dwarfed by the sound that emerged when the man himself appeared in the flesh"(NYTIMES.com, 11/13). SI.com's Jon Wertheim noted with Ronda Rousey "coming off a defeat and a protracted layoff, McGregor is, by orders of magnitude, the brightest star in the MMA cosmos" (SI.com, 11/13). The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Jason Gay noted McGregor is "one of a few stars in this growing if polarizing sport to cross over into the mainstream." White thought he had "minted the UFC’s Michael Jordan" with Rousey, but she "lost a stunner a year ago and hasn’t fought since." In McGregor, White "has a superstar who, like him, can’t sit still, and craves to give the people what they want" (WSJ.com, 11/13). ESPN.com's Brian Campbell wrote when it "comes to entertainment value and the bold ability to back up the endless rhetoric that acts as his shield, McGregor stands alone within his own era." As long as McGregor "continues to back it up, the UFC is his world and the rest of us are just bystanders" (ESPN.com, 11/13). CBSSPORTS.com's Bill Reiter wrote McGregor is "bigger than the UFC itself." He is in that "rarefied category as one of the greatest and most important athletes on Earth" (CBSSPORTS.com, 11/13). The GLOBE & MAIL's Cathal Kelly wrote McGregor is a "crude, telegenic blowhard who’s about as bright as a box of hammers." Those who "most dislike his vulgar approach can’t stop obsessing about him," as he is a "natural point of fixation." Kelly: "What may be McGregor’s greatest attraction is that he is free of worry" (GLOBE & MAIL, 11/13).
