With solid promtion, absolutely. They could overprice the tickets and get a decent gate number even with 9,500 sold. Worked for Mosley/Vargas so well they had a second fight.

Additionally, can they charge $45 for a PPV? I doubt it.

They’ll have no choice but to. I would be surprised if they only charged that in this theoretical. They people who will buy it will buy it if its $30 or if its $50. Boxing’s history shows fights of significantly lesser magnitude in terms of public interest doing 300,000 buys with $50 costs.

So the maximum the event will get is like $6 Million.

This is assuming you’re right, which has no real basis in any sport promotion that’s ever done and essentially poses on a worst case scenario. I’m sure if the worst case scenario happens, they lose money. I don’t see them running a budget PPV for this, nor do I see them having $10 seats to “fill up the house” nor many other things that may be issues to weekly television but have no pertinence to a PPV fight production.

Couture is retiring after this fight and won’t be able to make the company any more money. And just because Fedor beats him, doesn’t mean he gets all of his fans.

So, what? If the fight makes money, no one cares that Fedor won’t make tons of money, particularly the fighters, who happen to be doing this out of self interest. I’m sure Fedor doesn’t care about what his potential income in 5 years if Zuffa decides he’s worth enough to them for whatever might be if he can make that much or more now.

As for Diego Sanchez, it was announced on Sherdog Radio that he signed a new 6 fight deal and was very happy with it. So much for other companies getting Diego Sanchez.

Fixed that for you, since last I checked, Andrei Arlovski and Josh Koscheck still don’t have new deals. But hey, the UFC has Chris Leben. Who cares if they lose a top 10 welterweight and top 10 heavyweight? They’ve got the Crippler!

I agree with 45, as much as I want to see this fight (considering if and when, it could happen 30 minutes away from me), there’s no way it’ll pull down those kinds of numbers.

Those numbers are UFC 66-type numbers.

It is most unlikely they will get more then a $2 Million gate. Even over a million might be lucky. But let’s say $2 Million. And they won’t be getting all of that money.

Additionally, can they charge $45 for a PPV? I doubt it. Let’s say they charge $40 a pop, and they get $20 per PPV. I doubt it will do more then 250,000, which means they get $5 Million.

So the maximum the event will get is like $6 Million. After paying the fighter, production, and everything else, the event could still lose money. And guess what? Couture is retiring after this fight and won’t be able to make the company any more money. And just because Fedor beats him, doesn’t mean he gets all of his fans.

Not to mention that PPV money can take up to a year to get.

As for Diego Sanchez, it was announced on Sherdog Radio that he signed a new 6 fight deal and was very happy with it. So much for other companies getting these guys. Nobody can compete with the UFC when they want to keep talent. Well, nobody except for K-1, but they have such a different appetite for talent that they rarely go after the same athletes.

I agree but in my opinion, that’s the ceiling.

So let’s say it doesn’t. Has a $5 million dollar live gate and gets about $7 million out of domestic PPV. Randy and Fedor each make $3 million apiece guaranteed money, more than either has ever made. The promoter makes money. Uh, is that a failure? A cautionary tale to other fighters? I’m thinking it doesn’t mean what you think it does at those numbers.

No way does it do anywhere close to half a million buys.

I agree but in my opinion, that’s the ceiling.

No way does it do anywhere close to half a million buys.

I’m reserving judgement on UFC 81 until I see a final figure. I remember when UFC 71 “broke all the records”.

It’ll get attention, for sure, but that doesn’t always translate into buys.

Randy Couture in the main event gets on ESPN. That’s enough to guarantee about 250,000-300,000 buys, which would probably be enough on a top heavy show to cover costs and make some money at $50 for the show.

PPV? Where it would very likely end up?

I see EliteXC, which has around 15 million homes available.

Mike Tyson was signed to Showtime for the last 6 years of his career. I don’t think that destroyed the Lewis/Tyson buyrate.

As for a Couture/Fedor fight helping draw in the fans… Boy is that one risky way to build up a company… With a bunch of overpaid undercard fighters and one main event…

They’re only overpaid if it’s a failure. Couture/Fedor could probably make enough money to be profitable without 500,000 buys, you know. Somehow boxing does it with 300,000 buy shows and guaranteed payrolls 10X that of MMA.

Stephane Patry came out in 2006 and stated that GSP would gross around $1 million that year (and he hadn’t even gotten the belt yet). Patry also stated GSP grossed $350,000 in 2005.

GSP’s 2005 year was similar to where many up-and-coming fighters like Jon Fitch are currently, so he should make a good example.

He had 1 fight in TKO and 3 fights in the UFC in 2005.

His 3 fights in the UFC grossed him $81,000. Let’s assume hypothetically that his TKO fight paid him $19,000 (and this is probably on the high side as his first UFC fight in 2005 paid him $18,000).

That means GSP earned ~$100,000 in fight purses an ~$250,000 in sponsorhips.

The last two PPVs Randy headlined did less buys than UFC 81.

It’ll get attention, for sure, but that doesn’t always translate into buys.