UFC 261 Sells Out 15,000 Tickets In Minutes – Ultimate Fighting Championship

By: Julio Olmo

Tickets for UFC 261 were snatched up quickly on Thursday and one day later, as UFC President Dana White predicted were completely sold out in minutes, making it the fastest in the promotion’s history.

Thank you UFC fans!!!

– Sold out in minutes. One of the fastest sell outs in UFC history.
– Arena record for highest gross.
– 15k attendance
I will see you in Jacksonville pic.twitter.com/mPwmOf4Saa

— danawhite (@danawhite) March 26, 2021

UFC 261 takes place April 24 at VyStar Veteran’s Memorial Arena, in Jacksonville, Florida, and is headlined by a trio of title fights, with a welterweight rematch between champ Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal serving as the main event.

The spring fight card marks the return of full capacity UFC shows.

The UFC flirted with limited attendance for UFC 257 in January, but now it has become a reality.

Dana White isn’t sure whether UFC 262, which is scheduled for May 15 in Houston, Texas, will signal a full return to events with live fans.
Capacity restrictions are beginning to ease around the country, but health officials have also advised the public not to let its guard down on the coronavirus, which has led to over 546,000 deaths as of this writing.

Still, sporting fans are closer than ever to a return to normal. Officials in New York recently announced arenas could be filled to 10 percent of capacity. California lifted restrictions that could allow fans for Major League Baseball’s Opening Day. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti hopes to allow between 10 to 25 percent of Dodger’s Stadium to be filled when the season starts. The Texas Rangers announced earlier this month that they will allow 100 percent capacity for an April 5 opener at Globe Life Field in Arlington.

In Boxing, meanwhile, just over 9,000 distanced fans watched live at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, this past October as Gervonta Davis knocked out Leo Santa Cruz.

According to a recent study, a survey of 3,000 people revealed 83 percent are ready to return to stadiums. If demand for live sport is at it appears, the UFC stands to benefit, and handsomely.

“Everybody’s talking about, they’re first, they’re first – they’re not first,” Dana White said. “We’re first. Nobody’s going to do it like we’re going to do it.” White Continued, “They’re talking outdoor arenas, most of them probably won’t sell out, social distancing, all that stuff. We’re selling out an arena, packed, record-breaking, and I’m going to go everywhere that people want to do that.”

While a handful of select fans have been able to attend cards on Fight Island, and UFC Apex in Las Vegas, UFC 261 marks the first time a full-capacity crowd has been invited to a UFC event since March 2020, as the promotion was forced to close its doors to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

MAKE SOME NOISE 🗣 #UFC261 pic.twitter.com/0pRZUhB6CJ

— UFC (@ufc) March 26, 2021

🏆🏆🏆 Revancha asegurada!!!

Tres Títulos en Juego en #UFC261. Arena llena. 24 de Abril.

Obtén tu Código de preventa en https://t.co/IPxClfGzCB pic.twitter.com/3uCC0BpHHx

— UFC Español (@UFCEspanol) March 16, 2021