UFC 327 takes place this weekend at Kaseya Center in Miami, Fla., with Jiri Prochazka fighting Carlos Ulberg for the vacant light heavyweight title in the five-round main event. Shortly before that 205-pound clash of styles, former middleweight title challenger Paulo Costa will go head-to-head with Russian knockout artist Azamat Murzakanov.
Fans aren’t exactly rushing to grab seats.
But the recent decline in live attendance doesn’t appear to be strictly a UFC problem. The “Rousey vs. Carano” lineup
on May 16 at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, Calif., isn’t doing much better — even with a stacked main card that features a bevy of notable names from UFC, including Ronda Rousey, Francis Ngannou, Nate Diaz, Junior dos Santos, and many more.
I guess it’s cheaper to stay home and watch MMA on Paramount+ and Netflix.
Kaseya Center holds 19,600 fans while Intuit Dome can pack in 18,300.
You can argue the “Sunshine State” extravaganza will see an increase of ticket sales the day of the event, just as you can also argue the “Rousey vs. Carano” card is still a month away. But it’s worth noting that seats sell quickly when the right names are attached, which is probably why Conor McGregor wasn’t included in the ticket-less UFC White House event in June.
