rick@garage16.ca
02-12-2011, 08:44 AM
DAY 2 TICKETS SOLD OUT IN 4 MINUTES FOR UFC 129 IN TORONTO
TORONTO -- Demand continued to far outstrip supply for Toronto UFC tickets Friday as the limited number available on a second day of a pre-sale for UFC 129 disappeared within minutes.
On the plus side, good seats are still available for the April 30 show at the Rogers Centre -- if a few extra zeros don't bother you.
On Friday, ticket reseller Stubhub offered seats from $104.99 (500 level, Row 20, corner upper tier) to $39,999 (ringside cage, Row 1).
Tickets originally ranged in price from $50 to $800.
If you are feeling particularly flush, there are four of those $39,999 cageside seats available.
But for those who can't afford their own private jet, Stubhub had field-level seats going from $767 to $25,999.
The UFC sold out its original block of 42,000 tickets Thursday, prompting it to release more so there would still be some available Friday in a second pre-sale and Saturday to the general public.
Friday's pre-sale was for those who subscribe to the UFC newsletter.
"The traffic was significant and I think there were all gone within four minutes," said Tom Wright, the UFC's director of Canadian operations.
UFC 129, slated for April 30 at the Rogers Centre, has already shattered the North American attendance record for a mixed martial arts show.
The previous record was UFC 124 in Montreal, which drew 23,152 to the Bell Centre in December.
"There'll be a limited number of tickets available. They will be across all price points," Wright said of what was left for Saturday's shoppers.
Thursday's tickets went to members of the UFC Fight Club or fans willing to pay the near $90 premium to join the fan club.
Searching for tickets at 10 a.m. ET when the Friday pre-sale window opened produced a lot of "Sorry, no exact matches were found, but other tickets may still be available" messages on Ticketmaster.
Some frantic typing over an hour produced two single tickets: one at $75 and the other at $800.
Wright said he expected to know by Monday at the latest the exact number of tickets sold for the Toronto show. There is a chance some additional tickets may come up, depending on final setup of the arena.
"We really won't know that until literally two or three days before the event."
Could this week's sales have gone any better?
"We were managing our own expectations and other people's expectations," Wright answered. "And we were excited about what happened and we're pleased with what happened.
"I think that's Step 1 of making sure that this is an event that the city of Toronto and UFC fans across Ontario, Canada and the world will never forget."
The Rogers Centre card will be the UFC's sixth in Canada. Montreal has hosted UFC 83, 97, 113 and 124 while Vancouver hosted UFC 115.
TORONTO -- Demand continued to far outstrip supply for Toronto UFC tickets Friday as the limited number available on a second day of a pre-sale for UFC 129 disappeared within minutes.
On the plus side, good seats are still available for the April 30 show at the Rogers Centre -- if a few extra zeros don't bother you.
On Friday, ticket reseller Stubhub offered seats from $104.99 (500 level, Row 20, corner upper tier) to $39,999 (ringside cage, Row 1).
Tickets originally ranged in price from $50 to $800.
If you are feeling particularly flush, there are four of those $39,999 cageside seats available.
But for those who can't afford their own private jet, Stubhub had field-level seats going from $767 to $25,999.
The UFC sold out its original block of 42,000 tickets Thursday, prompting it to release more so there would still be some available Friday in a second pre-sale and Saturday to the general public.
Friday's pre-sale was for those who subscribe to the UFC newsletter.
"The traffic was significant and I think there were all gone within four minutes," said Tom Wright, the UFC's director of Canadian operations.
UFC 129, slated for April 30 at the Rogers Centre, has already shattered the North American attendance record for a mixed martial arts show.
The previous record was UFC 124 in Montreal, which drew 23,152 to the Bell Centre in December.
"There'll be a limited number of tickets available. They will be across all price points," Wright said of what was left for Saturday's shoppers.
Thursday's tickets went to members of the UFC Fight Club or fans willing to pay the near $90 premium to join the fan club.
Searching for tickets at 10 a.m. ET when the Friday pre-sale window opened produced a lot of "Sorry, no exact matches were found, but other tickets may still be available" messages on Ticketmaster.
Some frantic typing over an hour produced two single tickets: one at $75 and the other at $800.
Wright said he expected to know by Monday at the latest the exact number of tickets sold for the Toronto show. There is a chance some additional tickets may come up, depending on final setup of the arena.
"We really won't know that until literally two or three days before the event."
Could this week's sales have gone any better?
"We were managing our own expectations and other people's expectations," Wright answered. "And we were excited about what happened and we're pleased with what happened.
"I think that's Step 1 of making sure that this is an event that the city of Toronto and UFC fans across Ontario, Canada and the world will never forget."
The Rogers Centre card will be the UFC's sixth in Canada. Montreal has hosted UFC 83, 97, 113 and 124 while Vancouver hosted UFC 115.