UFC held a press conference in New York City’s Madison Square Garden to announce their commitment to hold two annual UFC events in New York, once the sport is regulated in the state. Dana White and Zuffa CEO, Lorenzo Fertitta sat alongside, Jersey’s own Frankie Edgar who is the current UFC Lightweight Champion and Scott O’Neil, President of Madison Square Garden Sports to reveal their plans for New York and present an in depth economic study they’ve performed which shows the positive impact MMA events would have on the city. A press release from the UFC promotion stated:
The study found that holding two UFC events in the state (one at Madison Square Garden and one in Buffalo) will create roughly $16 million in new spending. Additionally, the study found smaller MMA operators will likely hold events that would bring an additional $4 million. In total, $23 million of annual new spending and hundreds of new jobs will be created in the local economy by regulating MMA.
Lorenzo Fertitta went on to say “We’ve done similar economic studies in major cities such as Boston, Las Vegas and Philadelphia and each showed the substantial positive impact hosting a UFC event has on the local economy. This study shows that by regulating MMA, New York can reap the economic benefits statewide.”
For more information on the economic study performed by Zuffa, go to: MMAFacts.com.