UFC admits mistake in UFC 102 pricing tickets

In the lead up to UFC 102 there was a great deal of talk regarding poor ticket sales for the UFC's debut event in the Pacific Northwest.  However UFC 102 had a strong showing of 16,088 attendees for a $1.92 million gate at the Rose Garden Arena. The Arena holds approximately 20,000 spectators.

Steve Cofield of Cage Writer tweeted that the upper bowl was packed while the lower bowl was filled with empty seats indicating that the poor economy affected what tickets spectator bought.

Dana White also had choice words about the UFC's pricing structure, 

"I'm my own worst critic, and I got a lot of [expletive] critics, believe me," White said. "I'm a little disappointed that we missed the mark on this thing. I think as great as we did, we could have done better."

....

"I've got this thing priced, ticket-wise, for the same price I've got L.A. priced for. [Expletive] stupid. We messed up here. I'm a little bummed out about that."

The UFC isn't bailing on the Pacific Northwest. White said that the UFC will return to the region but probably head to Seattle first. If we include White's statements about Vancouver, which is just a train ride away, then the home of Canucks could be the UFC's first destination for a return trip to the Northwest.

UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira coverage