“Two will do fine… I don’t need any more than that. Thanks.”
That was one of the texts John Kavanagh received in the lead up to UFC Fight Night 46 back in the summer of 2014.
Three years later and both Conor McGregor and his coach will have their phone lit up all the way up until August 26 and the Dubliner’s boxing debut against Floyd Mayweather Jr.
On this occasion, though, it won’t be so easy.
Dana White has revealed that all the major players in Mayweather vs. McGregor are going to purchase their own block of tickets to dole out to family, friends and work colleagues. White is UFC president and a multi-millionaire – following the $4.2bn sale of the company to WME-IMG last year – but even he is only getting 20 tickets ring-fenced.
White told talk-show host Jimmy Kimmel:
“I’m buying 20 tickets. This is what we have to do.
“So Mayweather is buying his own tickets. Mayweather is. Showtime are. We’re all buying our own tickets.”
White has confidently predicted that Mayweather vs. McGregor will smash all pay-per-view records and you can’t argue with him.
UFC 207, back in December, got in a crowd of 18,533 – a record for the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. That only took in gate receipts of $4.75m with the current record standing at $10.7m for UFC 200. UFC 202, which was headlined by McGregor’s fight with Nate Diaz, took in $7.7m on the gate.
With tickets for the boxing extravaganza go on public sale on July 24 with the cheapest expected to go for $2,500 and the ringside seats costing $98,500.
One imagines McGregor & Co. will be compensated for shelling out for their own tickets but crazier things have happened.
We don’t think any of the main players will be too stuck for cash anyway.
