Dana White Thinks Aldo vs. McGregor Will Do $7 Million Gate
The UFC has put plenty of promotional muscle behind the highly anticipated bout between Jose Aldo and McGregor, and UFC President Dana White believes it's going to pay off.
The longstanding featherweight champion is set to put his title on the line against the Irish upstart at UFC 189 on July 11 in Las Vegas, and the organization has spared no expense to kick buzz about the fight up to a fever pitch. For the first time in the company's history, the UFC launched a world tour that sent the 145-pound champion and challenger around the globe to promote their upcoming tilt.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
The result of their efforts has captivated the MMA community, as the tension between Aldo and McGregor has steadily increased throughout. While media stops and press conferences have served to offer a glimpse of the disdain between the two fighters, the UFC's Embedded series has provided an unprecedented look at just how heated things have gotten between the Brazilian phenom and the surging featherweight star from Dublin.
In a recent interview with MMAFighting.com's Ariel Helwani (h/t Bloody Elbow), the UFC front man discussed his motivations for creating the media tour and revealed the championship bout is set to pull big numbers in Las Vegas.
"This thing is going to go in seconds," White said. "It will do a $7 million gate. When we were in Toronto, we did 65,000 seats, or 56,000, one of the two, for a $12 million gate. This is 16,000 seats for a $7 million gate."
The UFC's push is building toward its annual International Fight Week celebration that will kick off in the days leading up to Aldo vs. McGregor and then culminate with UFC 189, which is also set to feature a welterweight title bout between champion Robbie Lawler and No. 1 contender Rory MacDonald.
The bout between Ruthless and the TriStar product will be a rematch, as the American Top Team representative edged out MacDonald in a closely contested affair at UFC 167 in November 2013.
While UFC 189 is several months away, the building friction between Aldo and McGregor, in addition to having two high-powered title fights atop the card, has already generated the big-event feel White was shooting for. The UFC set out to have a big year in 2015, and the Aldo vs. McGregor tour is proof the company is willing to put in extra effort to make that happen.
"We ain't out here spending the money cause we didn't expect it," White said. "That was my vision: This thing was going to be the biggest fight of the year and coming off the biggest first quarter that this company has ever had. Ever. That is saying a lot because we've had some pretty good years. This first quarter was the best in this company's history."
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
