Rogers Place hosts highest grossing UFC Fight Night event in North America

On November 2, Rogers Place in downtown Edmonton hosted the highest grossing Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) Fight Night event of all time in North America. It was Fight Night: Brandon Moreno vs Amir Albazi.

The aftermath of the fight saw Edmonton breaking a UFC record. The event saw over 16 thousand people in attendance and a gate revenue of $2.6 million dollars.

This was UFC’s fifth event in Alberta. They’ve previously held two events in Calgary and two events in Edmonton. This is their first time back in the last five years. David Shaw, the executive vice-president and head of international content for UFC, said that Alberta has the most fans per capita compared to any other province. 

“We’ve been holding events in Canada since 2009. Coming back to Edmonton for the first time in a couple years is really important for us,” Shaw said. 

According to Shaw, working with the team at Rogers Place and their history of success with the Oilers was “comforting.”

“Edmonton, as a destination, has all the right kind of infrastructure and facilities for us. Rogers Place is a very well run building. They know what they’re doing in terms of supporting pro sports franchises,” Shaw said.

Apart from the fight card itself, this time around UFC is bringing a “greater” investment in production value to Edmonton.

“Coming to a UFC event will make you an instant fan,” Shaw says

“The production value that UFC brings to a live sporting experience is unmatched. The audio, the lights, the whole theatrics, it’s understated, but it’s super sophisticated. It’s high energy, and it really brings a great experience for everyone,” Shaw said.

“If you’ve never seen a live [UFC] experience before, then coming to a UFC event will make you an instant fan,” Shaw added.

UFC fights are a “really social event,” where people are focused on a fight and then socialize in-between fights. The way UFC delivers its events is always consistent, Shaw said.

“You get in for the early prelims, and you see a few fights of athletes that are probably new. As you get into the late prelims and the main card, more global stars and Canadian stars will be competing. If you come to the last event you’re coming to see the pinnacle of athletic competition.”

“There’s [an] element of national pride that I think is brought to this competition,” Shaw says

Between preliminaries and the main card there are eight Canadian athletes. Five won their respective fights on November 2.

“Athletes relish [and welcome] the opportunity to compete in front of home fans and family. There’s a certain element of national pride that I think is brought to this competition,” Shaw said

“If you’re an athlete, you can feel the energy of the fan base. The surging energy helps drive and inspire a lot of these athletes,” Shaw added.

This event gave Albertan fans the opportunity to see athletes make their way through the hierarchy of their weight divisions. 

“[There is a] great blend of global stars, two former champions, a number of top five athletes, [and a] confluence of Canadian heroes and global stars. So you’re gonna get a lot of really incredible matchups.”