UFC 168 ticket sales approaching record territory

LAS VEGAS – The way it stands now, tonight’s UFC 168 card is approaching record territory for the UFC and MGM Grand Garden Arena.

UFC President Dana White on Thursday said the total sales for the event are more than $6 million – which puts it in select company.

The UFC’s all-time gate leader for events at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, site of tonight’s card, is just north of $6.9 million. That happened in 2012 for a rematch between then-middleweight champion Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen.

Tonight, Silva again tops the card as he tries to recapture the title against the man who took it from him in July, Chris Weidman. That event, UFC 162, had a gate in execs of $4.8 million to put it fourth all-time for the UFC at MGM Grand Garden Arena.

“We’re so sold out on this fight, it’s insane,” White told MMAjunkie on Thursday following the pre-event news conference for UFC 168. “I think there are some singles left out there. I think we’re at $6.3 million right now.”

White will announce the live gate and attendance figures following tonight’s event, and the Nevada State Athletic Commission will verify them and release an official total likely next week.

In addition to the ticket sales for tonight’s live event, the UFC set up a closed-circuit viewing of the prelims and main card at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino’s Marquee Ballroom. Tickets for that viewing cost $60 – but sales for that are kept separate from the sales of the live event itself and don’t count toward the gate total.

In addition to the rematch between Weidman (10-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) and Silva (33-5 MMA, 16-1 UFC), the co-main event is another highly anticipated title rematch. Women’s bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) meets her bitter rival, Miesha Tate (13-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC).

The MGM Grand Garden Arena’s all-time top UFC gates as compiled by MMAjunkie include:

1. UFC 148 (Silva vs. Sonnen II): $6,901,655 gate (15,104 attendance)
2. UFC 167 (St-Pierre vs. Hendricks): $5,759,350 gate (14,856)
3. UFC 66 (Liddell vs. Ortiz II): $5,397,300 (13,761)
4. UFC 162 (Silva vs. Weidman): $4,826,450 (14,272)
5. UFC 91 (Couture vs. Lesnar): $4,815,675 (14,272)
6. UFC 71 (Liddell vs. Jackson): $4,304,000 (14,728)
7. UFC 94 (St. Pierre vs. Penn II): $4,290,000 (14,885)
8. UFC 116 (Lesnar vs. Carwin): $4,053,990 (12,740)

For the latest on UFC 168, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.