It’s expensive being a UFC fan these days.
Aside from having to shell out $80 every month for a pay-per-view on top of an ESPN+ subscription, the costs associated with attending an Ultimate Fighting Championship event have grown to astronomical proportions.
This Saturday, the promotion returns to Iowa for the first time in 25 years, heading to Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines for a Fight Night card headlined by a featherweight clash between Cory Sandhagen and Deiveson. Also appearing will be notable names in the MMA game, like Bo Nickal, Reinier de Ridder, former bantamweight champion Miesha Tate, and former Miletich Fighting Systems standout Jeremy Stephens.
Before this weekend, the last time the UFC was in the Hawkeye State was all the way back on June 9, 2000, for UFC 26.
Just to give fans an idea of how much costs have risen over the last couple of decades, former UFC and WEC fighter Mike Brown shared an image of an original front row ticket for UFC 26 versus a front row ticket for UFC Des Moines.
Needless to say, the price difference his jaw-dropping.
The cost for a front row ticket at UFC 26 was $100.50. Now, that same front row seat will cost you a whopping $4,402, representing a massive 4,300% increase.
Is the UFC starting to price itself out of the market?
With the promotion’s explosion in popularity, it’s no surprise that consuming the product has become considerably more expensive, but considering only 15% of the revenue goes to the actual fighters (paltry compared to other professional sports organizations, which often share 50% of their revenue), many are finding it hard to continue supporting the promotion financially.
That’s resulted in a staggering drop in pay-per-view buys, and even last weekend’s Fight Night in Kansas City was considered somewhat of a disappointment in terms of total ticket sales.
Obviously, Dana White and Co. will continue to be the top dog in the world of MMA, but with rising costs and an overflow of lackluster events, are fight fans starting to spend their hard-earned dollars on other forms of entertainment?
