UFC 141 Draws 12,158 with $3.1 Million Gate

Donald Cerrone and Nate Diaz

MGM attendance down, but revenue up

LAS VEGAS – The UFC closed out 2011 the same way it opened it – with a pay-per-view at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in its home base of Las Vegas.

And while the reported live gate at UFC 141 on Friday trumped the gate for UFC 125 on Jan. 1 to start the promotion’s calendar year, the early attendance figures were down.

UFC 141 drew an attendance figure of 12,158 and had a live gate of $3.1 million. UFC president Dana White reported the figures at Friday’s post-fight press conference at the MGM Grand. Those numbers could change when the Nevada State Athletic Commission releases the event’s official figures next week.

UFC 125, which also took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, had an official attendance of 12,874 – but a gate of just $2.175 million. UFC 125 featured a main event lightweight title fight between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, which resulted in a five-round draw and will go down as one of the best title fights in UFC history.

UFC 141 was the promotion’s eighth show in Las Vegas in 2011 – four at the MGM Grand, two at MGM sister property Mandalay Bay Events Center and two finales of “The Ultimate Fighter” at The Palms.

The gate set a high mark for the UFC at the MGM Grand in 2011, out-earning UFC 125, UFC 130 and UFC 132. UFC 126 and UFC 137, at Mandalay Bay Events Center, were the promotion’s two highest gates in its home city this year.

But Friday’s attendance figure was the UFC’s lowest at the MGM Grand since UFC 56 in November 2005. The show was a rare Friday pay-per-view for the UFC, done out of necessity because of logistical problems that would arise with a Saturday show in Las Vegas because of the New Year’s Eve holiday, when Las Vegas Boulevard closes to vehicular traffic.

UFC 141 featured a main event heavyweight top contenders fight between former UFC champion Brock Lesnar and former Strikeforce champion Alistair Overeem. Overeem won with a first-round TKO after a liver kick and will now face Junior dos Santos for the UFC title. The co-main event was a Fight of the Night winner featuring a Nate Diaz unanimous decision win over Donald Cerrone.