Filed under: UFC, FanHouse Exclusive, News
MONTREAL — Canada may be known as the “Great White North” to many, but when UFC officials look at the vast North American country on a map, they only see green.
Upon the promotion’s first trip to Canada in 2008, they promptly shattered the North American MMA attendance record, with 21,390 fans paying over $5 million to witness Georges St. Pierre recapturing the UFC welterweight title. That number was eventually topped at another Montreal show, and now it’s expected to fall again at Saturday night’s UFC 124 when St. Pierre takes on Josh Koscheck.
Neither the gate nor attendance records will last very long. UFC’s director of Canadian operations Tom Wright says the company’s Ontario debut at Toronto Rogers Centre next April will soon be the record-holder.